According to the regulations set forth by the state lottery commission, North Carolina had to launch mobile sports betting by June 15. Looks like the state will beat that mark by more than three months. And the commission will do it with a little nostalgia thrown in.
The start date falls on the eve of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men’s basketball tourney, which is somewhat of a religion in North Carolina, where four ACC teams reside— North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest and North Carolina State.
The commission selected noon on March 11 as the time wagers can be made on mobile devices and computers. The ACC tournament kicks off March 12 and the NCAA Tournament starts the next week. Bettors can wager on pro, all college games, in state or not, and Olympic sports. And for the first time, do it legally, according to the AP.
“Bets on sporting events have been made for as long as those events have taken place, but this time they will be legal, they will be done securely and fairly, and they will be made under rules designed to encourage responsible gaming,” commission Chair Ripley Rand said in a news release.
Nine operators have applied to the commission. The applicants need a certificate of compliance to take bets. Reviews of applications continue with a goal of issuing certificates well before March 1. That’s when bettors can create accounts and deposit money with an operator licensed by the commission.
That will give the public time to choose between operators based on terms, ease of use and responsible gaming issues, Sterl Carpenter, a commission executive overseeing sports gambling, told commission members.
Applicants must sign a partnership with a state team, league or venue. For instance, the Charlotte Hornets have a deal with bet365.
“The commission directed staff to implement sports betting as soon as practicable and to do it in a complete, professional, transparent manner and with the highest standards of integrity,’ said Carpenter, who was hired last summer after regulating sports betting in Massachusetts. ”We’ve done our best to meet this directive.”
