North Carolina Sports Betting Timeline: Update on What’s Happening

Sports betting in North Carolina is set to launch today nearly a year after it was permitted.

It's a long time coming for the state, which legalized in-person sports betting in 2019. Now, you can do so in the comfort of your own home.

Eight North Carolina sports betting apps have launched one day before the start of the ACC Tournament and a week before March Madness.

Those eight sportsbooks?

• FanDuel
• DraftKings
• Fanatics
• ESPN BET
• BetMGM
• Caesars
• bet365
• Underdog Sports (official launch of Underdog's sportsbook)

The most interesting of the bunch is Underdog — typically a daily fantasy sports company — which is creating its first-ever sportsbook in North Carolina. It remains to be seen which states — if at all — the company expands into.

Legal online sports betting was signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper in June with House Bill 347. The bill allows for up to 12 online sportsbooks to set up shop in the state. As aforementioned, only eight are positioned to start on launch day on March 11, but there's room for four more licenses.

North Carolina politicians have been deciding what markets will and won't be permitted over the last few months. In the end, in-state collegiate betting will be permitted (the practice isn't allowed in most states). Meanwhile, college player props will also be allowed. That practice isn't allowed in the vast majority of states for fear of foul play — but in a state like North Carolina, where college basketball reigns supreme, it was a vital sticking point for sportsbooks and their political supporters.