No January 2024 Start for Sports Betting in North Carolina

As recently as October 2023, there was reason to believe that North Carolina sports bettors could start betting on sports by the beginning of next year. Unfortunately, North Carolina regulators came out on November 14 with an announcement that the proposed sports betting launch date of January 8th will not be met.

This is bad news for Carolina sports bettors who thought they would be in action by the time the NFL playoffs were ready to begin. Now, it looks as though the entire NCAA BB season as well as most of the NBA season will be in the books before the state's first bet is placed.

It's noteworthy that according to the sports betting legislation that was passed earlier this year, the North Carolina Lottery Commission (NCLC) has until June 15, 2024, to get all of the Is dotted and Ts crossed.

What the Lottery Commission Has Left to Do for a Launch

As part of its recent announcement, the NCLC made clear that they still have a lot of things that need to be resolved before they can give operators and bettors the green light. As of this moment in time, the Commission has not even started the process of accepting applications from sports betting operators that want a piece of the action.

According to Sterl Carpenter, North Carolina’s deputy executive director for gaming compliance and sports betting, here are the steps that will need to be taken once the first application is received:

• Comprehensive operator background investigations
  
• Submission of proposed internal controls
  
• Proof that geo-tracking technology will be in place to prevent bets coming from outside NC or Federal Indian land
  
• Proof they have problem gambling initiatives and resources in place
  

Additionally, each operator will need to provide written documentation to show they have successfully partnered with specific sports teams, leagues, or facilities within the state.

Clearly, some things need to be done before the launch of sports betting in NC. What's most bothersome is the Commission's unwillingness to give an estimated launch date, knowing January 8 is dead in the water.

Where Things Stand Right Now

During a committee meeting on Tuesday, November 14, the committee did manage to approve a list of sports betting markets that operators could potentially offer to sports bettors. They were also able to make an initial round of changes to its "first draft of rules" under which sports betting operators will need to operate. Full committee final approvals of these changes are required and pending.

The next committee meeting will be a virtual meeting that is scheduled for November 16. The agenda could include a final disposition on the first draft. After that, the committee will hold a public hearing on November 20. The focus will be on a secondary batch of rules that the committee already approved last week. The public comment period is expected to end on November 27.

At this point, NC residents will have to continue waiting until the NCLC is able to report significant progress on all fronts.