Mobile Sports Betting Goes Live In North Carolina Monday

Unless you've been living under a rock or in some bizarre solitary confinement, it's not doubt crept into your consciousness that mobile sports betting is about to become a thing in North Carolina.  Monday, March 11, an industry that will generate more than $100 million in tax revenues for the state will kick into high gear.  So, you know it's coming, but what is it?  What does it mean?  Okay, deep breath, here goes.

Let's start with the basics.  This is MOBILE sports betting.  What that means, in a nutshell is you can wager on sports, on your phone/tablet/mobile device via an app.  There are eight companies that have been licensed by the state of North Carolina to operate.  They are:  FanDuel, BETMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics, bet365, ESPN BET, Underdog Sports Wagering and Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.  To participate in wagering, you must first download the app/apps of your choosing.

Sports.  Basically, all sports.  Technically though, professional, college, electronic (e sports), and Olympic sports.  Also, there will be opportunities to wager on specific things at specific events/venues.  For example, there will be some creative wagering perhaps at The Wells Fargo Championship (golf) at Quail Hollow Club in May.  Perhaps the same at Charlotte Hornets or Carolina Hurricanes games.  These will be handled on a case-by-case basis though.

In a word, money.  All of the eight mobile sports betting operators who are doing business in the Tar Heel State are being taxed at 18%.  It's estimated that in the first 12 months of legal sports betting more than $130 million in revenue will be generated for the state.  This money will help fund youth sports, the NC Department of Health and Human Services, plus North Carolina universities.

Yes.  Gambling is addictive.  Essentially, you've got Las Vegas in the palm of your hand.  Mobile sports betting IS NOT a video game.  Once that money wagered is gone, it's gone.  Find yourself in need of help with a gambling addiction problem?  Help is a call on that same mobile device away:  877-718-5543.

That being said, get ready to gamble.  Mobile sports betting goes live in North Carolina on Monday at noon, just in time for college basketball biggest tournaments, the start of baseball season and major golf events like next weekend's TPC Golf tournament and The Masters.

There are certain places you think of when you think of gambling. Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno, but nowhere in North Carolina immediately comes to mind. Yes, we have options like Harrah's Cherokee Casino and the new Catawba Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain. Both are popular, but gambling in North Carolina doesn't have a chokehold on people the way it does in other states.

Last year the gambling industry saw record-breaking profits last year despite the COVID-19 pandemic. And it's not just casinos, sports betting is also extremely popular. (Personally, my teams give me enough stress I don't need money riding on it too). As the Kentucky Derby is fast approaching where millions of dollars will be bet, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2022’s Most Gambling-Addicted States.

WalletHub compared the 50 states across 20 key metrics to create this report. The data set ranges from the presence of illegal gambling operations to lottery sales per capita to the share of adults with gambling disorders.

View the full report here