Whatever the North Carolina Lottery Commission is doing when it comes to preparing for the debut of sports betting, setting a launch date is not one of them. The closest thing to a kickoff date is June 14, the date embedded in the legislation “as no later than.”
State authorities said there are too many pending issues that need to be addressed before setting a date. “There’s a lot going on at the Lottery Commission to make sure that that process goes the right way,” Governor Roy Cooper told the Center Square.
A legislative fiscal analysis estimated an 18 percent betting tax will generate $64.4 million next fiscal year, with other estimates ranging from $47 million after three years to $126 million in year one.
The commission has received nine completed applications from operators, another five from service providers and 20 from suppliers. Those numbers account for 44 percent of requested applications, Sterl Carpenter said on January 10. The list of companies seeking to operate interactive sports betting in North Carolina includes FanDuel, DraftKings, Fanatics, Bet365, ESPN Bet, and Underdog Sports.
North Carolina sports betting will take place primarily through phones, with physical establishments anticipated by the end of the year.
Operators must form partnerships with professional teams, leagues, and venues in North Carolina. This requirement emerged following a change in the state budget, introduced months after the original sports betting law was passed by the state Legislature. Locations such as Bank of America Stadium, Spectrum Center, and Charlotte Motor Speedway to name a few.
“Some smaller operators, we still don’t know when (they’re) going to launch,” said Steve Bittenbender, with BetCarolina.com and the Gambling.com Group, as reported by Queen City News. “There may be things that open up a little bit later, mainly when the sport that’s in season starts.”
Lottery Commission Chairman Ripley Rand said back in November there will be no bets approved before the Super Bowl on February 11. All that said, the go-live date will likely come before March Madness begins on March 19.
As officials vet applications, the commission works on the next part of the process, to develop operators’ internal controls. The commission approved four documents as part of the process. Factors for launch include when supporting information from operators is submitted, and the timing of background, internal control checks, and certifications from testing labs, officials have said.
“We have been in contact informally with many of the operators about this … process,” Carpenter told the Center Square. “An operator’s ability to get to market is in its own hands once it gets a license.”
Carpenter said “the certificate of compliance process will be a key to the go live date. Only licensed operators with a certificate of compliance will be allowed to receive bets on apps on Day 1,” he said, adding that no licenses have yet to be awarded.
