North Carolina State Lottery Commission grants first round of sports wagering licenses
Seven operators receive approval from regulator to offer legal online sports betting services in the state from March 11, with a range of pre-registration services now up and running
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission (NCSLC) has announced that it has granted its first wave of sports wagering operator licenses, with seven companies receiving permission from the regulator to start providing services in the state on Monday, March 11.
The full list of operators to receive the green light from NCSLC include Betfair Interactive US, BetMGM, Crown NC Gaming, FBG Enterprises Opco, Hillside (North Carolina), PENN Sports Interactive, and Underdog Sports Wagering, meaning that well-known sports betting brands such as FanDuel, DraftKings, and bet365 will all be available to North Carolina residents later this month.
Speaking of the regulator’s decision to grant its first round of approvals, NCSLC chair, Ripley Rand, said: “Issuing the first interactive sports wagering operators licenses [yesterday] represents a major milestone in establishing legal sports betting in North Carolina.
“North Carolinians can begin signing up for accounts on their mobile devices [today] with the confidence they will soon be able to make wagers on their favorite sporting events securely and responsibly. We’re just 11 days away from the start of sports betting in North Carolina and we will be working every day between now and then to see that our launch is a successful one.”
With pre-registration for the aforementioned operators opening today, North Carolinians will be able to prepare for the big launch by setting up accounts and making deposits from noon onwards. After that, provided they’re aged 21 and over and have an account set up with a licensed platform, they’ll be able to use their phone or electronic device to place wagers from March 11.
The NCSLC went on to say that so far it has received nine applications for interactive sports wagering licenses in total and that it expects to approve additional licenses in the near future. As of yesterday, the commission had also issued three full licenses for sports wagering suppliers, 18 provisional supplier licenses, and three sports wagering service provider licenses.