North Carolina regulators awarded their first batch of sports betting licenses last week, another step toward the scheduled launch of mobile wagering in the Tar Heel State next month.
On Friday, the North Carolina State Lottery Commission announced it issued provisional licenses to seven sports wagering suppliers.
“The licensees are the first issued in advance of the March 11 date for the start of sports wagering in North Carolina,” the regulator said on its gaming website. “The provisional licenses are good for 180 days.”
Doing their part
The new licensees perform a variety of roles related to North Carolina sports betting, albeit not the actual taking of wagers. Instead, they are providers of content, data, and integrity services, among other things.
The seven companies now with North Carolina licenses in their pocket are:
- SportContentCo LLC
- SIS Content Services Inc.
- Swish Analytics North Carolina Inc.
- Idology Inc.
- LexisNexis Risk Solutions FL Inc.
- International Betting Integrity Association
- FEMG CO.
While Friday’s news is arguably less sexy than, say, an actual sportsbook operator getting licensed, it’s still a sign of progress in a state where the only legal wagering on Sunday’s Super Bowl was at brick-and-mortar casinos.
Eight online sports betting operators have reportedly applied for permits in North Carolina and struck partnership deals to provide themselves access to the state’s soon-to-open wagering market:
- bet365
- BetMGM
- Caesars Sportsbook
- DraftKings
- ESPN BET
- Fanatics Sportsbook
- FanDuel
- Underdog Sports
