North Carolina Sports Betting

North Carolina sports betting is legal. However, there are conditions. North Carolina sports betting is only legal at the few tribal casinos that exist in the state. There have been significant efforts to legalize sports betting in North Carolina, such as SB 688. However, no bills have been passed, so it does not seem like online betting will become a reality in North Carolina in the near future.

North Carolina sports betting is allowed on horse racing. There are many off-track betting facilities that allow North Carolinians to bet on horse races.

Legal Online North Carolina Sports Betting

Gambling in the United States was prohibited in the year 1910. A part of the reason why was that in 1909, the United States went through three distinct phases of gambling. Prohibition did not last long. By the 1930s, it was repealed. Since it was repealed, every state could decide on whether to allow gambling or not. President Ronald Reagan approved the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988. This permitted development in tribal communities.

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (also known as PASPA) was established in 1992 after there were concerns over the consequences of sports betting. New Jersey played a major part in revoking this Act. In 2018, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (often called PASPA) was repealed, giving individual states the option to legalize sports gaming.

As of today, online sports gaming is not legal in North Carolina. North Carolina sports gaming is, however, legal in either of its few Indian casinos. It only became legal recently in the year 2021. As it is still new to North Carolina, it may develop further in the future. However, at the moment, there aren’t any signs of online North Carolina sports betting, as it remains illegal.

How to Pick a North Carolina Sports Betting Site

Online sports gaming is not permitted under North Carolina sports betting laws. It can only be performed in person. Currently, it does not seem that online sports gaming will be available soon. However, if online sports gaming ever becomes legal in North Carolina, two major sportsbooks are expected to become available as North Carolina sports betting online options.

Caesars Sportsbook

Caesars Sportsbook is one of the most popular betting sites. It is seen as a fair site with good competitive odds. It already manages the two Indian betting casinos available in North Carolina. Caesars has many security precautions to ensure a safe payment experience for its users. It also has customer support that supports customers in making responsible betting decisions. There are resources to prevent any irresponsible betting.

Ceasars payment options are many. For example, an online transfer is for customers who transfer directly from their bank account. They also offer banking options by card. Customers may also purchase a prepaid Pay+, which some find more convenient. In their in-person venues, they accept cash. Cash can also be withdrawn. Some more payment options include the common, secure payment method PayPal. PayNear me allows payment via a voucher. They further offer the electronic bank-to-bank payment ACH. However, anybody who resides in North Carolina is not allowed to use the website or the app. The only allowed betting is in-person.

FanDuel Sportsbook

FanDuel offers both sports and Daily Fantasy Sports. It has a wide selection of options. Its website and app are easy to use, and they have customer service that is always available. FanDuels’ payment options are also secure. Their banking options include online banking and payment by card. The secure PayPal option is also on FanDuel’s list. Skrill, PayPal’s alternative, is another option FanDuel offers. It also offers the e-wallet Neteller. At in-person venues, customers can deposit and withdraw cash. However, although FanDuel may arrive in North Carolina if online betting becomes legal, it currently is not legal and unavailable.

DraftKings Sportsbook

Another sports gaming giant, DraftKings would likely join its competitors in North Carolina sports betting online should it become legal. It has a big player base. DraftKings offers both sports and Daily Fantasy Sports. Some payment methods DraftKings accepts are Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. The fast and safe PayPal method is also accepted. However, as of the moment, those in North Carolina cannot use DraftKings.

History of Betting in North Carolina

To know more about what type of North Carolina sports betting is allowed, it’s important to learn about North Carolina’s betting laws.

The first gambling laws in North Carolina occurred in 1749. Gambling debts larger than £100 were invalidated. Various taxation and gambling laws were put in place and debated afterward.

Some lotteries that had charity purposes were authorized. The reason behind the game however had to be to gather money for a good cause. By 1935, all lotteries in North Carolina were banned.

There were multiple spikes in gambling in the United States in 1909. Following these spikes, gambling was prohibited in 1910. This Prohibition only lasted 23 years and was then lifted. That means states got the choice of whether they wish to allow gaming or not. By 1950, nearly all states had legalized horse racing and low-stake charity gaming.

It was recognized that allowing tribal gambling would support the Indian community. As a result, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, or the IGRA, was signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. It is compulsory to sign for every tribe that wants to own or manage a casino. This affected the federally recognized tribes that are based in North Carolina.

In 1992, restrictions around sports betting came into place. The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks decided that sports had bad consequences. They declared that a national problem. Then, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, or the PASPA, was put into place. All American states were prohibited from gaming. This was with the exemption of Montana, Oregon, Nevada, and Delaware.

New Jersey played a major part in legalizing sports gaming. In March 2009, Raymond Lesniak, the New Jersey Senior State Senator of the time, issued a lawsuit against PASPA. He said it was unfair to only allow sports betting in a few states. The situation was thought to be difficult to challenge by the Governor of that time, Chris Christie. The case was then released. In 2010, there was a public referendum, in which the majority of the public voted for sports gambling and betting to be legalized.

2012 brought new legislation into place. Now, sports betting was allowed in some locations. The states however continue to fight over whether or not to legalize sports betting. Some additional changes were made in 2014. There was a new law that cancelled a previous state ban on betting. New Jersey continued to want sports betting legalized. They appealed to the Supreme Court and demanded that the Supreme Court reviews the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992.

This resulted in PASPA being repealed in 2018. Many states have decided to legalize sports betting since. North Carolina sports betting only became legal in 2019. In 2021, both casinos opened their sportsbooks. The only places where it is legal are in-person in its two tribal casinos. There have been continuous efforts to legalize North Carolina sports betting online. The bill SB688 passed the senate. If the bill had been put into place, it would allow between 10 and 12 online sports betting licenses in North Carolina. It has however failed by one vote in June 2022. The earliest that a new betting bill could come into place is maybe 2023. For now, it does not seem that North Carolina sports betting online will happen, but it could change.

North Carolina Sports Teams

Even though North Carolina sports betting is not as widely available as in some other states, there are still a few major league teams in NC. These teams include the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL), Charlotte Hornets (NBA), Charlotte Knights (MiLB), Carolina Mudcats (MiLB), and the

The Carolina Hurricanes

Also known as the Canes, the Carolina Hurricanes are a professional hockey team. They are from Raleigh in North California. They compete in the NHL, which is short for National Hockey League. Initially, they were established in 1971 as the New England Whalers. Today, they are a member of the Eastern Conference in the Metropolitan Division.

Charlotte Knights

A baseball team from Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte Knights are in the Minor League Baseball team of the International League. They are also Chicago White Sox’s Triple-A affiliate. Initially, the team was formed in 1976. They were named Charlotte Orioles, also called Charlotte Os. In 1988, they changed their name to the Charlotte Knights.

Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets are a professional basketball team located in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are famous for being owned by the fam Michael Jordan. They are a member of the Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The Charlotte Hornets compete in the NBA, which is short for the National Basketball Association. They were initially formed as an expansion team in the year 1988.

Retail Sports Betting in North Carolina

The only retail locations available for North Carolina sports betting are the two, which are tribal. Those are Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. View information about them below, under ‘Tribal Casinos.’ There are no other retail locations currently permitted. Any games of chance apart from at the two permitted locations are illegal in North Carolina. North Carolina Sports betting in retail form is also only available at the two mentioned Indian locations.

Charity bingo and raffles are permitted, so there are also a few bingo and raffle locations that are not tribal. For example, Eastway Beach Bingo, Carolina Bingo, and Branchview Bingo.

Tribal Casinos

The only retail locations available in North Carolina are two, which are tribal. There are no other retail locations permitted. View information about them below, under ‘Tribal Casinos.’

North Carolina sports betting is only available at tribal retail locations. Those are:

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort

The address is 777 Casino Drive, Cherokee, NC 28719. There are many eateries and hotels at the resort. There are also additional entertainment and leisure activities, like bowling, spa, and golf. The area further receives visitors due to the pleasant area where it is situated. Many shows are available. The Casino has a range of shopping centers for those who like shopping.

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River

The address of this retail sportsbook is 777 Casino Parkway Murphy, NC 28906. Similarly to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, there are many restaurants and things to do at this location. For those wanting to stay over, a hotel is available.

Catawba Two Kings Casino

This new casino is located at 538 Kings Mountain Blvd, Kings Mountain, NC 28086, United States. It offers a variety of games and dining and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Charity bingo and raffles are permitted, so there are also a few tribal bingo locations.

Daily Fantasy Sports

No online betting is currently permitted in under North Carolina sports betting and gambling laws. Therefore, there are no Daily Fantasy sportsbooks available in North Carolina. This may change if the laws ever allow North Carolina sports betting online. Some of the Daily Fantasy Sports sites that might become available could be:

FanDuel Sportsbook

As mentioned above, this famous sportsbook offers both sports and Daily Fantasy Sports. FanDuel offers both sports and Daily Fantasy Sports. It provides a wide range of alternatives. More about FanDuel above.

DraftKings Sportsbook

Again as mentioned above, this is another popular sportsbook that offers both Daily Fantasy Sports and regular sports. More about it above.

Monkey Knife Fight

Monkey Knife Fight is in the Daily Fantasy Sports category, but it is very similar to a sports betting site. It is available in many states, so if North Carolina sports betting and Daily Fantasy Sports betting are ever permitted, Monkey Knife Fight will likely be found there.

Offshore Betting

Offshore betting is always a risk. North Carolina sports betting sites are available at Indian retail locations. There should be no need for offshore betting. The only two government-recognized authorities that may authorize offshore sports betting are Curacao and Costa Rica, which are both located in the United States.

Horse Racing & Off-Track Betting

North Carolina sports betting fans will be happy to know that, since the 50s, horse racing has been allowed in almost every state. Although North Carolina is strict on betting laws, they permit horse racing. These are also only allowed in their tribal betting sites. Many people in North Carolina enjoy horse races as a leisure activity.

There was a time in history when North Carolina’s most popular sport was horse racing, although unfortunately then the sport was not ethical as it was not regulated. There is a long history of horse racing in North Carolina. The first recorded race was in 1709.

Horse racing was temporarily banned in the 20th century. However, Since the 50s, horse racing has been allowed in almost every state.

Summary

North Carolina sports betting is only available at tribal retail locations. These are Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River, and Catawba Two Kings Casino. Charity bingo and raffles are also permitted in the state.

Currently, no online betting is allowed in the state of North Carolina under sports betting and gambling laws, so all North Carolina sports betting is done via retail sportsbooks. This means that there are no Daily Fantasy Sportsbook sites available in the state. However, this could change in the future if online betting becomes legalized.

Although it has a long and complicated history within the state, horse racing is currently permitted in North Carolina. The first recorded race was back in 1709, but it was banned temporarily in the 20th century before becoming legal again.

About Joe Kizlauskas

Joe is a seasoned iGaming copywriter and speaker who has been in the business since 2015. He's written more words on all elements of Casinos, Slots, Bingo & Sports Betting than he likes to remember, and he's contributed material to a number of well-known brands. Joe may be seen playing 5 a side, at the gym or playing games on his Playstation when he is not writing.