Welcome to the Super Bowl party, North Carolina. The Tar Heel State is taking wagers on Sunday’s Big Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles for the first time. North Carolina became the 38th U.S. state to offer sports betting in March 2024, just missing out on last year's Super Bowl.
The Tar Heel State is the only new U.S. market offering Super Bowl LIX betting odds, something regulators are pleased to finally have.
“The benefits of legal sports wagering are that it happens under strong regulations that protect the person placing a bet, ensuring they get their winnings and that their personal information is protected," North Carolina State Lottery Commission's Chief Regulatory Officer Sterl Carpenter said. “If you choose to bet on the Super Bowl, do it legally with one of the eight licensed operators in North Carolina.”
Online sports betting has done very well in North Carolina, which hasn’t introduced retail sportsbooks yet. Tarheel State sports betting recorded a $629.5 million December handle that ranks 10th among reported states.
Bettors wagered more than $5 billion since last March in North Carolina, and eight online operators produced over $583 million in revenue. The state hauled in more than $100 million in tax income, well ahead of expectations.
FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, Fanatics Sportsbook, ESPN BET, bet365, and Underdog Sports all operate in the Tar Heel State.
“It is great having North Carolina live for the Super Bowl,” a BetMGM spokesperson told Covers on Wednesday. “N.C. ranks eighth among states in total handle wagered on the Super Bowl at BetMGM.”
The American Gaming Association projects bettors will legally wager $1.39 billion on the Super Bowl in the U.S.
State breakdowns
The Chiefs enter Sunday’s game in New Orleans as 1.5-point favorites, but bettors were all over the Eagles’ moneyline. As of Wednesday, the NFC representative saw even more love at one sportsbook.
According to figures BetMGM provided, the Eagles were getting 81% of the handle and 52% of the tickets. Nationally, Philadelphia received 57% of the handle and 46% of the bets.
BetMGM also reported 69% of the moneyline handle backing the Eagles in North Carolina, compared to 62% across all markets combined.
ESPN BET told Covers the Eagles received more than 50% of moneyline wagers in 14 of the sportsbook’s 20 U.S. jurisdictions, including North Carolina. The Chiefs only garnered more tickets in Kansas, Arizona, New York, Iowa, Indiana, and Illinois.
Aside from Pennsylvania and Kansas, New Jersey saw the most lopsided action as 61.7% of the outright winner bets came in on the Eagles, who play very close to the Garden State. ESPN BET said 18 jurisdictions had more than 50% of the spread tickets on the Eagles at +1.5.
Missouri, where the Chiefs play their home games, legalized sports betting in Nov. 2024, but wagering isn’t expected to begin until this summer.
Big-money markets
Philadelphia playing in the Big Game is huge for Pennsylvania and New Jersey, two of the top five U.S. handle markets last year.
When the Eagles were in the Super Bowl two years ago, the Keystone State generated $599.5 million in February, and sportsbooks hauled in over $62 million in profit from a double-digit hold. New Jersey produced over nearly $2 billion in wagers from the last two Super Bowl months combined, and this February could be the best yet.
New York is also gearing up for a big-time week. The most lucrative U.S. market saw a 20% handle increase from Feb. 2023 to Feb. 2024. With the Empire State’s nine online sportsbooks producing $2 billion in every month of football this season, Super Bowl betting should be at an all-time high.
