Tar Heel State sports betting revenue dropped significantly month-over-month. North Carolina's State Lottery Commission reported $629.5 million in December wagers, a 4.3% decrease from November, while revenue fell by 54.3% from the previous month’s huge haul.
It’s the second-lowest amount the state’s eight online sportsbooks profited in a single month since betting launched this past March. Only August ($33.8 million) produced less revenue.
That, however, came on a handle nearly half of December's. The 5.8% hold was the worst operators produced yet. Even October, when bettors held up well during an unprecedented run by NFL favorites, Tar Heel State sportsbooks got the win rate to 8%, the previous low.
North Carolina recorded an estimated $6.4 million in tax revenue, down from November’s $14.1 million haul.
| N.C. Sports Betting | Handle | Revenue | Tax (estimated) |
| December | $629,520,784 | $35,717,877 | $6,429,218 |
Big bettor month
NFL favorites once again plagued sports betting operators nationwide, and North Carolina was among states that saw month-over-month revenue drops. Tar Heel State bettors cashed in on $590.9 million in winnings during December, surpassing March’s $590.7 million as the most since online sports betting began.
FanDuel, DraftKings, bet365, BetMGM, ESPN BET, Underdog, Fanatics Sportsbook, and Caesars combined spent $16.4 million on promotional wagering, down 13.7% from November.
2024 in review
With a few reports remaining before sports betting has been operational for a full 12 months, North Carolina sports betting generated $5.4 billion in wagers during 2024. Online sportsbooks hauled in $583.6 million in revenue and paid out over $100 million to the state on an 18% tax rate.
None of the 2024 figures account for retail sports betting, which has yet to launch, nor horse racing wagers. The lottery commission decided in December to put pari-mutuel rule-making adoption on hold while it awaits a potential legislative change to the state’s gaming laws.
