Online sports betting in NC is officially live. We dive into what each licensed sportsbook offers, from their app to player bonuses and odds, helping you to make informed choices whether you’re into pro, college, or amateur sports. Our guide is designed to direct you to the platform that best suits your preferences. Discover the best sports betting sites in North Carolina available to you from anywhere in the state.

Matt Speakman, Betting Expert at online-gambling.com

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Matt Speakman is a Connecticut-born and raised betting expert with a soft spot for the Patriots. He is also a proud member of the online-gambling.com team. You can read his articles on a broad range of topics, including sports betting and DFS.

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North Carolina Betting Sites by Category

We made it easier for you to choose based on your preferences by ordering the available sites for online sports betting in North Carolina into categories. Take the time to decide what is of the highest priority for you when you wager, and choose a website accordingly.

For the most part, these top-rated NC online sportsbooks are similar in their offerings, but we found areas where each one of them outperforms the rest. If you want to bet on the strong suits of each platform, you can use our research team’s findings as guidelines.

Popular Sports & Leagues

House Bill 347 effectively made wagering on both professional, amateur, and college sports legal^[1] as long as conducted on a licensed website. With that, we can hardly talk about any illegal betting markets at this point. On the contrary, online sports gambling in North Carolina, in all shapes and forms, is booming.

To make it a bit easier for you to navigate the available choices, our research team surveyed the sports and leagues you can wager on at a North Carolina online sportsbook.

1. Basketball – NBA, WNBA, NCAAM

Basketball betting encompasses a wide range of leagues, including the NBA, WNBA, and NCAA Men’s Basketball. You can find odds on the top events of each level of competition, no matter if you are interested in college games, amateur leagues, or the top guns of professional basketball.

College basketball is available for betting at the top NC gambling sites both to those who follow men’s and women’s competitions. The Euroleague also offers good opportunities to place a wager, but this time, it’s men’s games that get the attention of the best sports betting sites in North Carolina.

2. Ice Hockey – NHL, Liga Playoffs

Ice hockey betting in the state includes markets from the the National Hockey League and various international leagues, primarily from Scandinavian countries. This is a thriving segment where you can wager on famous teams like the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Toronto Maple Leafs, or The Caroline Panthers.

College ice hockey is also an option if you want to diversify your wagering patterns. You can get both money lines and spread bets on college games between teams such as Boston College, St. Lawrence, and many more.

3. Football – NFL

The football sections of the best sites for legal online sports betting in NC boast options including the NFL Draft, College football, and NFL futures, among others. You could place a wager on teams such as the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, and San Francisco 49ers.

The futures are a great way to make predictions about how a team will fare in the long run. There, you can choose from predictions about the outright winner, the Super Bowl divisional finalists, the exact outcome of the Super Bowl, the winning state, and similar.

4. Baseball – MLB, College Matches

Another hit among sports gamblers, baseball has an important place in the available markets at NC online sportsbooks. The most popular options are college baseball, MLB games, and the MLB pre-season. The section with MLB games gives you a chance to make your predictions about games involving teams such as Brewers, Mets, Angels, Orloles, to name but a few.

Sure enough, you can make a forecast about the outright winner of the MLB or make it even harder on yourself by trying to guess the exact outcome of the final. That involves predicting who plays who and which of the two teams wins. This is a long shot, but the odds prices are ever so tempting.

5. Soccer – MLS, US Open Cup, Nations League

The great thing about soccer is that it is the most popular game in the world. Should you choose it, you’ll get a plethora of options for online sports gambling in North Carolina, including the most competitive US league – the MLS, international matches, and much more.

Considered the strongest league in the world – the Premier League – is also always a noteworthy candidate for a soccer bet. The best sports betting sites in North Carolina give you these and many other options from the top leagues in Spain, Germany, Italy, France, and South America.

North Carolina Betting Apps

There are downloadable apps for legal sports betting in NC that you can find on Google Play and the App Store. These apps distinguish themselves by being free and well-optimized for mobile devices. Not only that, but users can stream, bet in play, and use other vital wagering features that are normally available.

Each of the apps featured on our list has overwhelmingly positive user reviews. The good thing is that updates are released regularly, addressing known issues and improving the overall usability of these apps. Furthermore, you can claim the welcome bonus of the top mobile betting brands on a smartphone.

NC Sportsbook Bonuses & Promotions

One of the most engaging features of NC online sports betting is the bonuses and promotions available to both first-timers and regular players. When you first join a platform of this kind, you will have the option to opt for a welcome deal, the best of which we detailed below.

A welcome offer for sports betting often includes bonus money given to you in the form of a free bet or a cashback on a losing bet. Meanwhile, there are also profitable deals for returning players. Those often give you odds boosts on a certain sport, refer-a-friend rewards, and increased odds for parlay bets.

No Deposit Bonuses

This isn’t the most popular type of bonus because of how rarely you can find a no deposit offer, but new players always appreciate bets on the house. At the time of writing, we were unable to find any viable offers to reward players who weren’t ready to deposit.

Deposits & Withdrawals at North Carolina Betting Sites

The best sports betting sites in North Carolina, as defined per our criteria, offer a variety of payment methods to their customers. Some of the fastest solutions include eWallets, PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill. PayNearMe and ApplePay can also make same-day withdrawals, provided your account is fully verified.

When you first join a digital platform for sports betting, you don’t need to sit and wait while your money is being transferred because deposits are instant regardless of the transfer method you choose. As little as $10 is a permissible deposit, which would also qualify you for a welcome bonus.

Live Online Sports Betting in NC

Often considered something for pundits, live betting is a useful tool that allows you to speculate about sports outcomes in real-time. This feature is offered for many sports, including tennis, basketball, and football, and features interesting markets you can’t find pre-match.

Timing is key here because markets open and close as the action unfolds. Also, unlike pre-match betting markets, the live betting section could look emptier if you visit at a time when not much is being played. All these intricacies make in-play a style of wagering that is more suitable for seasoned gamblers.

Land-Based Sportsbooks in North Carolina

North Carolina has several land-based sportsbooks on its territory, concentrated within tribal casinos such as Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel. These venues offer a rich experience with large-screen TVs and full-service bars.

The success of these venues has prompted efforts to extend sports betting to more locations, including professional sports venues. This initiative aims to broaden access to sports betting and generate additional revenue for the state.

Sports Betting Legislation

The full extent of the law concerning sports gambling is defined in House Bill 347. The Bill authorizes betting on professional, college, and amateur sports, as well as horse racing.

The Bill puts the North Carolina State Lottery Commission in charge of licensing and regulation of sports betting in the state. As the main gambling regulator, The Commission has established a Voluntary Self-Exclusion Program to help those affected by compulsive betting^[2].

Legal Sports Betting Age in North Carolina

In North Carolina, you have to be at least 21 years old to engage in sports betting. This requirement is what most states with legal sports betting have in place to prevent underage gambling. Additionally, licensed sportsbooks run age verification checks on registering users.

• Legal Gambling Age
  21+ is the legal gambling age in the state of North Carolina.
• Legal Drinking Age
  The legal drinking age in NC is also 21+.
• Legal Age for Marijuana
  North Carolina has not legalized recreational marijuana use.

Taxes on Your Winnings

Any money won from gambling is considered taxable income under both state and federal laws. As far as federal law is concerned, a 24% flat tax applies to sports betting winnings if they exceed $5,000 after subtracting the bet and sources like sports betting sites or casinos.

Benefits of Legal Sports Betting

The official legalization of online sports betting in North Carolina comes with plenty of benefits, the most significant of which is the raised awareness of illegal sportsbooks. Besides that, there are economic benefits for the state and increased engagement among sports fans.

The most impactful change is the decrease in illegal and unregulated activities regarding sports betting. This will serve to protect players better and minimize the harms of irresponsible gambling. What’s more, a thriving sports betting industry should increase tourist activity.

Local History of Sports Betting

It has been very dynamic in the months leading to the official launch of online sports betting in North Carolina. Sportsbooks were in a rush to find professional sports organizations to partner with; the Commission changed its stance on how daily fantasy sports should be treated, along with other interesting developments taking place.

Sports Betting Laws in Other States

Online sports betting legality varies across the USA, with some neighboring states offering more open regulations than North Carolina. For instance, gambling sites in Tennessee and in Virginia have embraced online sports betting, allowing their residents to place bets via websites and mobile apps.

Nation-wide, the approach to online sports betting is equally varied, with some states fully legalizing and regulating the industry while others maintain strict prohibitions. This global perspective points towards the global legalization of sports betting due to the benefits we outlined earlier.

Upcoming Regulation Changes

No confirmed regulatory changes have been officially announced for legal online sports betting in North Carolina, but there is growing anticipation around the legalization of daily fantasy sports (DFS). Although a specific date has not been set, the movement towards recognizing DFS sites in NC as a legal form of betting highlights the state’s evolving perspective on gambling and interactive sports.

This potential change would align North Carolina with other states that have already integrated DFS into their legal betting frameworks, marking a significant shift in the state’s approach to sports betting.

Sports Betting Guides for Nearby States

• South Carolina
• Virginia
• Tennessee
• Georgia

References

1. HOUSE BILL 347 RATIFIED BILL, North Carolina General Assembly, Retrieved March 22, 2024.
2. Responsible Gambling, North Carolina State Lottery Commission, Retrieved March 22, 2024.