Sure bet: Sports fans were ready Monday for start of mobile and online sports betting in NC

GREENSBORO — Dane Beck is a sure bet for proponents of mobile and online sports betting, which became legal Monday in North Carolina.

The 38-year-old wine merchant and dad already knows the thrill of well-researched gambles and has invested 10 years and plenty of wagers in sports betting, he said Monday between bites of a burger at Char-Bar 7 Sports Bar on Lawndale Drive in Greensboro.

“I’m not gonna lie — it’s a blast,’’ he said of fantasy sports bets he’s placed over the years through the app FanDuel Sportsbook.

His gambling activity peaks in football season, Beck said. “It’s the thrill of the victories or narrow defeats.’’

“With the NFL games, I’m engaged in it every day,’’ he said. “I’ll gear up a few days before the weekend, study the teams and place bets for the next day. Then I try to take a big hiatus and get back to nature ... get some clarity.’’

FanDuel, like seven other sportsbook apps that have already launched in North Carolina, offered up to $300 in bonus bets to customers like Beck on Monday, and the inducement snagged his attention.

“I think I’m gonna take advantage of that,’’ Beck said.

Across town, Sean and Cheryl Grant of Kernersville perched at the wooden bar at Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar on West Wendover Avenue, another sports-themed Triad establishment where TV screens stay warm broadcasting golf, ACC basketball and March Madness games.

“We’ve got the lottery, and I feel like it’s (online sports betting) the same kind of thing,’’ said Sean Grant, 36, an IT worker.

“I think with us being in the Bible Belt, it took longer for us to get it (legalized),’’ said Grant, who said he has periodically placed online sports bets through the Bovada sportsbook app.

“But honestly, everybody has vices,’’ Grant said. “And I don’t see any difference in waking up every morning and getting Starbucks and placing a sports bet.’’

Grant is relieved that by placing his football and basketball wagers on state-sanctioned apps, cashing out winnings will now be simpler for him.

The process for claiming his take from Bovada involved using multiple fee-laden services that cut into his profit, he said.

His mom, Cheryl Grant, said she will likely place some sports bets, too.

“Because it’s easy and convenient,’’ said the 64-year-old travel agent. “It won’t be much different than buying a Pick 4 for the lottery.”

Legalization is something Cheryl Grant welcomes, she said, noting that North Carolina will garner plenty of tax revenue from the move.

“Just because it’s legal now doesn’t mean it wasn’t already happening,’’ she said, chuckling, and petting her month-old poodle, Zeke. “So now, the state can get their piece.’’

Estimates, in fact, are that during the first full year, the state will reap $65 million from online sports betting. Within five years, that sum could grow to more than $100 million, industry insiders forecast.

A trio of electrical contractors who also dined Monday at Bad Daddy’s said they have no interest in taking chances with the newly sanctioned wagering.

“It’s just throwing money away,’’ said Kyle Miller, 35, who lives in South Carolina and works in the Triad. “I don’t even have any luck with scratch-offs.’’

His Winston-Salem co-workers followed suit.

“I don’t do any of that betting,’’ said Joe Moorefield, 21, as Tim Harris, 51, concurred, shaking his head.

For now, though, Beck said he’s excited.

“I’ve had a few solid wins over the years,’’ he said. “Last year was a down year. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don’t. That’s what it’s like when you’re chasing the dragon. Outside of being a savant, you have to ask yourself, ‘Are you ever gonna be a millionaire?’ But if you never gamble, you never win.’’