RALEIGH, N.C. – Legal online sports betting in North Carolina is set to begin in March, state gaming regulators decided Wednesday, setting the start date for the eve of the nation's beloved men's basketball tournament. Atlantic Coast Conference of the region.
Members of the state lottery commission, which the General Assembly last year tasked with licensing sports betting operators, voted unanimously to set noon on March 11 as the time sports betting can begin in mobile devices and computers.
The ACC Tournament begins in Washington on March 12, and the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments will begin the following week.
When sports betting is up and running statewide, anyone 21 or older can place bets on professional, college or Olympic-style sports. But the opening date certainly emphasizes the importance of college basketball in North Carolina, where four ACC schools are located and the men's tournament began in the 1950s.
“Bets have been placed on sporting events since those events took place, but this time they will be legal, placed safely and fairly, and placed under rules designed to encourage responsible gambling,” the commission chairman said. . Ripley Rand said in a press release.
Nine entities have asked the commission to accept bets in the state, the commission said. Those applicants must receive a certificate of compliance in order to offer betting on their online platforms. Application reviews continue.
Starting March 1, betting customers can create new accounts and deposit money with an authorized operator who has obtained a certificate. That will give the public time to choose between competing operators in their betting terms and get used to the online interface and responsible gaming features, Sterl Carpenter, a commission executive who oversees gambling, told commission members. sports chance.
The 2023 law passed by the state legislature and signed by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said sports betting could begin as early as June 15. He also authorized in-person sports betting at approved sportsbooks and pari-mutuel betting on horse racing. but none will start in March. In-person betting will begin on a “case-by-case basis,” as interested operators meet the requirements, according to Carpenter.
Each gambling operator seeking a piece of North Carolina's new market was required in its application to enter into an agreement with a team, sports venue or league in the state to obtain a license. Candidacies are not public, but some applicants have announced agreements of this type. For example, the NBA's Charlotte Hornets have an agreement with bet365.
Legal sports betting has already taken place in North Carolina at three casinos operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians or the Catawba Indian Nation. The two tribes have now applied online for licenses with the state.
North Carolina would become the 30th state, along with the District of Columbia, to offer mobile sports betting, according to the American Gaming Association.
Getting sports betting up and running has been a huge effort for the commission and its employees, who until now had no prior experience with this type of betting.
“The commission directed staff to implement sports betting as soon as possible and to do so thoroughly, professionally, transparently and with the highest standards of integrity,” said Carpenter, who was hired last summer after regulating sports betting in Massachusetts. “We have done everything possible to comply with this directive.”
