Mobile sports betting to begin March 11 in North Carolina

Mobile sports betting will start before the ACC men's basketball tournament.

The North Carolina State Lottery Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to allow operators to take mobile sports bets on March 11 at noon. North Carolina bettors can establish and fund accounts through approved operators on March 1.

"We are telling the public we are ready for sports wagering," said Sterl Carpenter, the deputy executive director of gaming compliance and sports betting. "Now it is up to our operator applicants to show us that they can meet the requirements set by our General Assembly and by this commission."

The start date is two days after No. 12 Duke and No. 3 North Carolina meet in their regular-season finale. The ACC men's basketball tournament begins March 12 in Washington, D.C., where mobile sports betting is also legal.

Many conference tournaments, including those involving other North Carolina universities, take place around the same time as the ACC men's tournament. The NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments tip-off later in March.

“Bets on sporting events have been made for as long as those events have taken place, but this time they will be legal, they will be done securely and fairly, and they will be made under rules designed to encourage responsible gaming," said Ripley Rand, the chair of the commission, in a statement after the vote.

Horse racing and in-person betting will not be available on March 11.

The list of licensed operators will be posted at ncgaming.gov.

The commission had until June 15 to launch mobile sports betting under state law. It previously announced that mobile sports betting would not begin on Jan. 8, the first day allowable under law, or by the Feb. 11 Super Bowl.

After a multi-year effort, state lawmakers gave final approval in June to legislation legalizing mobile sports betting and certain in-person sportsbooks. Gov. Roy Cooper, a proponent of legalized sports betting, signed the bill into law in Charlotte.

The law charged the lottery commission with implementing the law, setting up rules and regulations around sports gambling and picking a start date. The commission hired Carpenter, a gaming industry veteran, to oversee the North Carolina's sports betting division.

Nine sports wagering operators have submitted applications to take bets in the state. They have until Friday to submit their proposed internal controls for review by the commission. The commission previously said that mobile sports betting will launch in the state before in-person sports betting at specified locations does.

Operators must have an agreement with certain in-state teams, leagues or facilities in order to secure a license.

Operator agreements

Teams: Operator
Charlotte Hornets: bet365
Carolina Hurricanes: Fanatics Sportsbook
Carolina Panthers: not announced
NC Courage: not announced
Charlotte FC: not announced

Facilities: Operator
Quail Hollow Club: Bet ESPN (PENN Entertainment)
Sedgefield Country Club: Underdog Sports
Charlotte Motor Speedway: BetMGM
North Wilkesboro Speedway: not announced

Governing bodies: Operator
PGA Tour: FanDuel
NASCAR: DraftKings

The Catawba and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which have in-person sportsbooks at their casinos in North Carolina, have also applied for licenses.