Sports Betting in North Carolina is live

Sports Betting going live seems to come in waves and often seem to fall around big betting events. North Carolina is no different as on the day the NCAA Tournament tipped off - the first legal wager in the state was placed as the Tar Heel state joined the ever expanding group of places where betting on sports have emerged from the shadows to become fully legalized.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in the state have operated two casinos in the western half of the state. They both are branded under the Harrah’s banner and are operated by Caesars Entertainment, located in Cherokee and Murphy.

What they didn’t have until last Thursday was Live Sports Betting but the ribbon was cut at 10AM last Thursday which changed all that but it has been quite a long wait considering the bill to legalize in-person sports betting on tribal casino land was passed all the way back in 2019.

What officials in the state have done however is make it legal to only bet in person. Online betting is not permitted, which will surely affect the potential revenues. No doubt it will be brought forward but when you take into consideration it took nearly two full years from legalization to actually being able to physically place a bet, don’t expect to be gambling on your mobile phone from your armchair any time soon.

With neighboring states Tennessee and Virginia both fully up to speed with online sports betting - North Carolina faces tough competition to keep all potential sports bettors in the state.