The launch of sports betting in North Carolina is less than two weeks away and eight operators have been approved to go live when the market opens on March 11. Moreover, the operators can begin pre-registering customers as soon as tomorrow.
The operators approved to launch are as follows:
- bet365
- BetMGM
- DraftKings
- ESPN Bet
- Fanatics Sportsbook
- FanDuel
- Underdog
Caesars Sportsbook was also approved but for a supplier license. The group is in a different category because it is working with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). Every other operator is working with a sports team or venue in the state.
“Issuing the first interactive sports wagering operator licenses today represents a major milestone in establishing legal sports betting in North Carolina,” said North Carolina State Lottery Commission Chair Ripley Rand. “North Carolinians can begin signing up for accounts on their mobile devices on Friday with the confidence they will soon be able to make wagers on their favorite sporting events securely and responsibly. We’re just 11 days away from the start of sports betting in North Carolina and we will be working every day between now and then to see that our launch is a successful one.”
The March 11 launch comes one day before the start of the ACC Basketball Tournament which will include popular college teams in North Carolina like UNC, NC State and Duke.
Underdog CEO Jeremy Levine took to Twitter to celebrate the company’s first sports betting license:
Underdog recently pulled its real-money pick’em game from the North Carolina market. The move came despite no regulatory changes by the state lottery commission.
