North Carolina Opens Sports Betting With Questions That Need Addressing

Due to the efforts of The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), Caesars Entertainment, and William Hill, North Carolina sports bettors will be getting access to wagering opportunities on this year's March Madness NCAA College Basketball tournament.

While sports betting started in North Carolina this week, there are still a number of logistical issues that might hold back the excitement and sports betting handle in the immediate future.

The fact that the state's two sportsbooks are now taking wagers is good news for college basketball fans. Why? It turns out that North Carolina teams like the University of North Carolina, Appalachian State, and UNC-Greensboro are included among the 68 teams vying for the March Madness national title.

With the states only two sportsbooks located in Cherokee and Murphy North Carolina respectively, there could be an issue related to legal-aged college students from those schools being able to get wagers down. There are in fact two issues that warrant consideration.

First, the Harrah's Casino Sportsbook in Cherokee is located anywhere from 135 miles to 220 miles away from those colleges. The Harrah's casino in Murphy is even farther away by as much as 60 miles. That would make for a long day of travel by car solely for the purpose of placing bets on the tournament. The other issue is the exclusion of online and mobile wagering from the wagering bill that is currently in place.

Regardless of these issues, there was a bit of excitement in the air as “The Book“ sportsbooks at both casinos held their grand openings.

According to Richard Sneed, principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in a written statement to the press:

“We are excited to offer legal sports betting at ‘The Book,’ and just in time for March Madness. We would like to thank our partners at William Hill and Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos, as well as members of the state, for making this opening possible.”

Mobile Gambling on Deck?

The fact that mobile sports gambling is not currently legal was more than an oversight. It was actually a miscalculation. After seeing explosive mobile sports gambling handle numbers coming out of other states like New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, the North Carolina assembly might be feeling the weight of a missed opportunity.

However, there is news that the issue of too little sports betting access could be rectified in the near future.

In January of this year, the Catawba Nation signed a compact with the state. According to the compact, the tribe has been granted permission to build a “Vegas-style” casino that would include a licensed sportsbook at Kings Mountain. The sportsbook could be open in time for next year's March Madness Tournament. That is very good news for residents of the state's largest city, Charlotte. Why? The casino/sportsbook would be only 30 miles away from the downtown Charlotte area.

As for mobile sports betting, there might still be a push for it later this year. It doesn't make sense to legalize such activities only to turn around and deny access to a majority of the state's residents.