The North Carolina Lottery Commission removed a rule that would prohibit legal sports betting operators from working with marketing affiliates when online and in-person wagering begins in 2024.
The commission approved the amendment to remove the rule and the entire second set of rules, including one that will allow operators to obtain naming rights to sports venues, during Wednesday’s meeting.
The sports betting committee’s staff recommended striking the marketing affiliate paragraph after several public comments were made from parties involved with advertisers and regulators in other legal sports betting states. There was “looseness” in the language, creating uncertainty in the rule.
The staff recommended that a conversation on the revenue-sharing model be addressed later as it needs more time to research the relationship between the two sides.
Removing that paragraph was unanimously approved by the commission with the intent to revisit the issue after that research is complete.
Not done yet
There’s still much to be done in North Carolina, where online sports betting becomes legal next month. While no timetable for a “go live” date was discussed Wednesday, the commission has already agreed that it won’t be before the Super Bowl.
Tar Heel State regulators are still in the application phase to approve 12 online sportsbook operators. The committee announced that three more operators have requested applications since last week’s meeting, bringing the total number to 14.
Along with the first set of rules, the second set of rules that were approved Wednesday, create the framework in which North Carolina sports betting will be regulated, but the committee told the commission that additional rule-making for pari-mutuel wagering would be needed at some point.
What’s next in N.C.?
The commission has asked parties interested in doing sports betting business in North Carolina to have license applications completed by Dec. 27. It will take 60 days to vet and approve operators, suppliers, and providers, which would likely put a launch date in March, just in time for college basketball’s postseason tournaments.
The commission will announce when online sports betting can begin once it has received those license applications.
Sportsbooks creating partnerships with North Carolina pro teams and venues will also continue. Last week, FanDuel and the PGA Tour struck a deal that will put the online operator in the Tar Heel State, joining bet365 and ESPN BET as sportsbooks with partnerships.
