Fancy a flutter on some water polo? In the Tar Heel State, it could soon be possible.
Online sports betting sites will legally launch in North Carolina next year — exactly when is to be determined, but it will be between early January and mid-June — and regulators recently approved an initial wagering catalog that gives a good idea of what bookmakers will offer.
The menu currently contains all of the standard fare for legal sports betting, such as MLB, NBA, and the NFL, as well as college basketball and football. It also includes more obscure sports that sites could take action on, like floorball, Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, and, yes, water polo.
Drafting the draft rules
North Carolina’s online sportsbooks — there is in-person wagering at three tribal casinos in the state, but no authorized mobile options yet — could offer odds and accept action on exhibition, preseason, regular season, playoff, and all-star games.
Mobile bookmakers could accept wagers on league drafts as well, although they must follow certain conditions, such as pre-draft markets related to the entire event (i.e., how many players from Alabama will be selected) must close before the first pick. Round-specific markets must shut down before the first pick of the earliest round involved.
“Pick-specific or selection-specific offerings must be made and accepted prior to the announcement of the pick/selection that is two picks/selections before the relevant pick/selection,” the catalog notes. “For example, a wager on whether pick/selection #25 of the draft will be position X or player Y must be made prior to the announcement of pick/selection #23.”
And the award goes to ...
Award wagering for sports is also permitted, albeit with certain conditions. For an award voted on by the media, for instance, a sportsbook must show how the results will remain confidential until announced. Wagering on those awards will have to stop at the voting deadline.
There will be plenty of wager types, too. Exchange wagering, in-play betting, moneylines, totals, parlays, pools, props, singles, straight-up action, and teasers are all available to mobile sportsbooks and their clientele in North Carolina.
The list of forbidden events and wager types is short but sweeping. Online sportsbooks cannot take bets involving youth sports, wherein the majority of participants are under 18, unless it is a national or internationally overseen event, like the Olympics, and not just involving minors or the NCAA.
The official press release: the Charlotte Hornets and bet365 are now partners, providing the bookmaker with a way to access the North Carolina online sports betting market that will launch in 2024: pic.twitter.com/f2JUGnA2js
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) November 17, 2023
Betting on injuries, penalties, disciplinary proceedings, and the outcomes of replay reviews is also prohibited. So, too, is placing pari-mutuel wagers; horseplayers must turn to one of the advance-deposit wagering platforms that state regulators will license (such as TVG or TwinSpires).
Wagering on esports is allowed, but North Carolina has yet to approve a league for betting. That could change, however, as operators can ask for events and leagues to be added to the catalog.
“Licensed Sport Betting Operators must receive [North Carolina State Lottery Commission] approval for any new league, events, or wagers,” the catalog states. “Approvals are granted at the discretion of the Commission. Once new leagues/events are approved, published in this catalog, and posted on the Commission's website, they may be offered by any licensed provider.”
You just made the list
Below are some approved leagues and sports thus far for North Carolina’s coming online wagering sites. The full catalog can be found here:
- Australian Football League
- Badminton World Federation
- Major League Baseball
- Japan Nippon Professional Baseball
- NCAA Baseball
- National Basketball Association
- Women's National Basketball Association
- Professional Bowlers Association
- Boxing
- Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Darts
- Floorball
- National Football League
- Canadian Football League
- NCAA Football
- Golf, but not LIV golf events yet
- Handball
- Hockey
- Lacrosse
- UFC and other mixed martial arts organizations
- IndyCar, NASCAR, and Formula 1
- Netball
- Olympics
- Pool
- Rodeo
- Rugby
- Sailing
- Snooker
- Soccer
- Major League Eating-sanctioned events
- X-Games
- Table tennis
- Tennis
- Water polo
