What to expect as sports betting begins in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WNCN) — The coming start date for interactive sports betting in North Carolina is just weeks away, and preparations are starting in earnest for the March 11 start.

“The message now with the Education Lottery (who is over sports betting for North Carolina), is that it’s very real now,” said Max Bichsel, Executive Vice President, North America for Gambling.com Group.  The sites operated by Gambling.com Group serve as a gambling resource.

“Yeah, you missed the football season.  Yeah, you missed the Super Bowl, but you’ll get the ACC tournament, the entirety of the NCAA tournament, and having the first two rounds at the Spectrum Center creates an environment that gets people excited.”

With the looming start of interactive sports betting, Queen City News sought to get answers on what this means for those who play–and even those who have no plans to partake in placing sports bets.

There will likely be several sports betting operator extending their business into the state.

Each operator will want their respective piece of legalized sports betting, especially surrounding collegiate sports–and since it is regulated, so will the State of North Carolina.  But it will also be easy to use.

“It’s now easier to place a bet than it is to get an Uber,” said Shannon Sommerville, sports betting analyst, host, and sports reporter.  “And that’s kind of the situation.  It’s going to be so normalized that we’re just hopping on our phone during a live game to place bets, instead of bets for a game.”

The lingering unanswered question surrounding sports betting is how much money it will bring in–in taxes, and to the businesses that will operate the services in North Carolina.

“The NFL will make about $1 billion over the course of five years from its three sportsbook partnerships, and that doesn’t include the teams who have deals,” said Bill King, writing for the Charlotte-based Sports Business Journal.

Queen City News asked King for a relative indication of how much money could come into the state.

Estimates are that North Carolina could see $100 million in the first five years of tax revenue.

King, however, believes it could be more, which will lead to more tax revenue.

“People bet $1 billion the first month in Ohio,” said King.  “I’m not saying it’s going to be like that in North Carolina, but it will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.”

The legalization of sports betting will not result in a rush of job opportunities, as most of the interactive sports betting will largely be done digitally.

Interactive sports betting will also benefit the statewide economy, as opposed to a local economy.

For some, the legalization of sports betting in North Carolina is a long process–one that even includes an operational move for one business.

Gambling.com group said they plan on moving their operations to a building in lower South End.  The company, founded by North Carolina natives, has had a presence in Charlotte for some time, but will soon be in a more permanent space.

“It behooves us to have talent in North Carolina,” said Bichsel.  “It’s the most sensical, obvious place for us to pitch our tent.”

Sports betting, too, is also about trying to reach a different audience.  The average sports watcher is older, and sports betting participants are younger, and leagues and services are actively courting that younger audience.

As for advice for first-timers?

“I wouldn’t go into it as a moneymaking endeavor,” said Sommerville.  “Go into it as fan, who has a little more time, put a little juice into it, if you will.”