Heads up, North Carolina sports bettors: legal sports betting is now live in your state! After Governor Roy Cooper legalized sports betting in 2023, the state of North Carolina has launched mobile sports betting on March 11, 2024.
North Carolina has plenty of generous sportsbook promos from some of the best sports betting sites like ESPN BET, FanDuel, BetMGM and more! Read our North Carolina sports betting review to learn all you'll need to know.
Here are the 8 sportsbooks currently legal in North Carolina:
NC Sportsbook |
Partner |
Bonus Offers |
---|---|---|
Fanatics Sportsbook |
Carolina Hurricanes |
Bet and Get up to $1,000 in No Sweat Bets! |
FanDuel |
Carolina Panthers |
Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets + 3 Weeks of NFL Sunday Ticket! |
BetMGM |
Charlotte Motor Speedway |
Get a 20% Deposit Match up to $1,500 in Sports Bonus! and Bet $10, Get $200 in Bonus Bets! |
Caesars Sportsbook |
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians |
Get up to $1,000 Back in Bonus Bets if Your First Bet Doesn't Win! |
bet365 |
Charlotte Hornets |
Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets! |
ESPN BET Sportsbook |
Quail Hollow Club |
Get a $1,000 First Bet Reset! |
DraftKings Sportsbook |
NASCAR |
Bet $5, Get $250 in Bonus Bets Instantly! |
Underdog Sports | McConnell Golf |
First Bet Mulligan - Get First Bet Back as a Bonus If Loss Up To $1,000 |
Must be 21+ and present in North Carolina. Full T&C apply. Gambling problem? Call 877-718-5543 or visit morethanagame.nc.gov.
Getting online sports betting legal in North Carolina has been a long and tough process for everyone involved. Governor Cooper had a plan to legalize online sports betting in North Carolina and the state government followed in step.
Here is our timeline on the most important events that lead to North Carolina sports betting becoming the real deal in 2024, with the most recent coming at the top:
Check out the top North Carolina sports betting apps below:
BetMGM has been a leader in the legal sports betting world for years now. The major sportsbook brings the famous brand to the state of North Carolina thanks to its partnership with Charlotte Motor Speedway. On the platform, you'll find great promotion offers and a trusted user interface.
BetMGM currently offers two welcome offers for North Carolina's sports betting enthusiasts. The first is a classic Get a 20% Deposit Match up to $1,500 in Sports Bonus! when you register with BetMGM promo code BARKER. The second is a Bet $10, Get $200 in Bonus Bets! when you use the promo code BARKER200.
FanDuel is one of the largest legal sports betting options in the country, so it is great to see them expand to have North Carolina sports betting as well.
FanDuel started out as a popular DFS platform but have expanded into being a major sportsbook, casino option, and even have horse racing now too. FanDuel NC brings plenty of great daily promotions to sports bettors in North Carolina, as well as a generous new user offer too.
The current offer in NC is Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets + 3 Weeks of NFL Sunday Ticket! with no FanDuel promo code needed, which is a great deal as you get the bonus bets regardless of your first wager's outcome.
Since North Carolina sports betting became legal, wagering with FanDuel in the Tar Heel State has boomed thanks to the operator's daily boosts, parlays, and profit boost tokens.
The Fanatics brand launched a huge sportsbook in 2023, and as of March 2024, the sportsbook app is available in North Carolina. New users can join to claim the welcome offer of Bet and Get up to $1,000 in No Sweat Bets with no Fanatics Sportsbook promo code needed.
Fanatics Sportsbook is one of the most unique legal sports betting options on the market. Users can earn FanCash daily through their wagers and promotions, which then can be turned into bonus bets or credits to use on Fanatics merchandise.
NC sports bettors can partake in great daily boosts, parlays, and promos on the Fanatics Sportsbook app. Their partnership with the Carolina Hurricanes brings tons of NHL fans, though you'll find betting markets across all leagues.
bet365 is not in as many states as some of these other North Carolina sportsbooks, but they have been aggressive in the last couple of years to expand. The Tar Heel State joined the ranks of bet365 in March 2024, and bettors could not be happier.
Daily boosts are one of the better options on bet365 for sports bettors. The Bet Boost tab on their app takes bettors through plenty of different sports with dozens of boost options every single day.
bet365 NC partnered with the Charlotte Hornets to come to the state. Their current offer in North Carolina is Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets! when you register for a new account with bet365 promo code BARKER. NC sports bettors can also choose the other offer which is, Get a First Bet Safety Net up to $1,000 in Bonus Bets!
Their partnership with the Hornets brings lots of fun betting action to sports bettors in the state.
ESPN BET is one of the newest sportsbooks on the block. They launched in late 2023 after ESPN partnered with PENN Gaming to create the sportsbook now known as ESPN BET.
ESPN BET partnered with Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina to bring their mobile sportsbook to the state. Their current offer is Get a $1,000 First Bet Reset! by using the ESPN BET promo code when you sign up.
ESPN BET NC may try to open a retail location in the future through their partnership with PENN. ESPN also uses some of their famous sports faces to promote the sportsbook, like Scott Van Pelt, Elle Duncan or Mike Greenberg.
Sports bettors in North Carolina get plenty of entertaining sports betting options and generous promotions from ESPN BET NC.
DraftKings was a safe haven in North Carolina for many years before the legalization of online sports betting, as its DFS product provided an alternative. Now, North Carolina bettors can use the DraftKings sportsbook.
The platform's highlights include competitive odds, live in-game betting, and various leagues and wagering markets. Additionally, users appreciate the ongoing promos such as no-sweat SGPs and the Dynasty rewards program that helps you earn from every bet you make. If you progress through the tiers far enough, you'll be eligible to become a VIP member to get access to exclusive perks.
Caesars Sportsbook operates North Carolina's two retail sportsbooks at the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and the Cherokee Valley River Hotel.
Caesars does not have a partnership with a specific sporting partner in North Carolina, but they are licensed through their connection to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
The most recent Caesars Sportsbook NC offer is Get up to $1,000 Back in Bonus Bets if Your First Bet Doesn't Win when you sign up with Caesars promo code YARDBET1000.
Underdog Sports rolled out for the first time in North Carolina on March 11, 2024. Tar Heel State bettors were excited to be the first crowd to test out this sportsbook that comes from a popular DFS operator. No promo code is needed to register today for the welcome offer: First Bet Mulligan - Get First Bet Back as a Bonus If Loss Up To $1,000!
Signing up at an online sportsbook always comes with a generous promo offer. Legal sports betting in NC opened March 2024, so sports bettors in the state need to know exactly how to sign up correctly to get a nice bonus offer at each available NC sportsbook.
Registering at a North Carolina online sportsbook is similar to other states in the U.S. You need to input some of this information below when making your new account:
Full name
Address
Social security number
Date of birth
Phone number
These details will help the sportsbook verify that you are you! Once verified, you'll be able to move on to checking out the terms and conditions of that sweet bonus offer.
With any sportsbook promo offer there will always be very specific terms and conditions in place. Sports bettors should make sure to read the terms and conditions with any bonus offer before depositing and wagering their money. In doing so, sports bettors can make sure they get the most bang for their buck when signing up for online sports betting.
Once you've signed up for your sportsbook account in North Carolina you will likely want to immediately start placing wagers. Read below on how to do this in just a few easy steps!
Pick the best online sports betting site you want to try out after doing your diligent research.
Register for a new user account at your sportsbook of choice.
Follow the terms and conditions of the new user bonus at the sportsbook.
Deposit your real money into the online sports betting account.
Place your first wager!
Here are some of the features that are available for sports bettors in NC.
Each major sportsbook in NC provides a large variety of online sports betting options for sports bettors to choose from. Moneylines, totals, parlays, spreads, futures and more are available 24/7. Having a nice variety of betting options for sports legal online sports betting is key to keeping the sports bettors happy and entertained.
Generous promotions and bonuses are offered in the form of new user promos or existing promos for NC sports bettors. Daily promotions like boosts or parlays are available on most major sportsbooks. And bonus bets are rewarded through the new user offers, or sometimes even through the existing promotions as well.
North Carolina sports betting apps have tested, user-friendly interfaces to make sure that all sports bettors can place wagers as smoothly and quickly as possible.
Some sportsbooks have live streaming options for special sporting events. It is important for sports bettors to search the sportsbook of their choice for this in the app since there will be plenty of sports to choose from each day.
The live streaming capabilities will be synced up smoothly so that bettors can place live bets while watching the same sporting event.
Customer support options are always available at each major sportsbook in North Carolina.
Customers may need support because of clerical errors with winnings or losses, or even for app issues while wagering. These sportsbooks usually have fast customer support options that can handle most cases in a timely manner through in-app chat or email.
Responsible gambling is the most important part of all of the sportsbooks in North Carolina. Every sportsbook has tools to help limit sports bettors and their money, chat options or phone numbers to call for counseling, or even the option to delete your account to help curb a gambling problem.
These sportsbooks advertise their responsible gambling resources along with the state resources that bettors can connect with.
The major sportsbooks on the North Carolina online sports betting scene have plenty of sports betting promos to use besides just the welcome offers.
These North Carolina sports betting promos, or existing promos, are designed to keep the loyal users of their favorite sportsbook entertained and happy after signing up for the welcome bonus.
But always make sure to take advantage of the best welcome offers that North Carolina sportsbooks promote.
Below, we're going over some of the best existing promos and welcome offers that North Carolina sportsbooks have.
Here are the common promos that NC sportsbooks run for new users:
The "Bet Get" style of new user offers is one of the most popular for North Carolina online sports betting. This offer is when a sportsbook promotes to new users something along the lines of "Bet $5, Get $200 in Bonus Bets today!"
This style of new user promo will not be decided by the moneyline on your wager of $5. These are simpler: just bet what amount of money they tell you, and you receive bonus bets from the sportsbook.
Usually the bonus bets you receive back are in increments as well. If they give you $200 in bonus bets, expect them to be in something like eight bonus bets of $25 each.
A deposit match offer for new users in online sports betting is when a sportsbook matches your first deposit into your account. If they advertise their welcome offer as a "100% Deposit Match Up To $1,000" then that means exactly what it sounds like: if you deposit $1,000, you get $1,000 in bonus bets. You want to just deposit $500?
That's fine as well. But there is always a minimum and maximum. In our example, you cannot get more than $1,000 back from the sportsbook deposit match. And the minimum could be around something as low as $10. Make sure to always read the terms and conditions when signing up for a new user offer.
The second chance bet is another good welcome offer from most sportsbooks. You would likely see it advertised as something like "Get a $250 Second Chance Bet."
This means if you sign up, make a bet of $250 and lose, the sportsbook matches your losses in increments of bonus bets. Just like deposit matches above there will always be a minimum and maximum in this style of welcome offer.
North Carolina sports betting also has some good moneyline bonus offers for new users too. This style of promo is when a sportsbook gives you a reward for making a winning moneyline bet when online sports betting.
For example, you may see a promo like this: "Bet $5 On Any Moneyline, Win $150 in Bonus Bets."
Be careful with this style of promo though. If your first wager loses, you do not get your bonus bets. So only place a wager on something that you feel confident in and are okay with handling a loss.
Existing users aren't left in the dust—check out these popular ongoing promos at NC sportsbooks:
A daily boost in online sports betting is usually a type of parlay promo that most major sportsbooks—like FanDuel or ESPN BET—have consistently for sports bettors. An example of a daily boost could be something like this:
Jayson Tatum 30+ points, LeBron James 8+ assists, Anthony Davis 12+ rebounds, and Celtics to cover -5.5 spread vs. Lakers @ +1200 odds
This daily boost would be featured in a Lakers @ Celtics matchup in a major sportsbook. Daily boosts are creative ways for sportsbooks to market their ideas using popular stats and players in daily matchups.
An online sports betting profit boost sounds similar to a daily boost, but there is a big difference.
The profit boost promo at a sportsbook is given to a user to use on a specific event or wager, which then boosts the odds in the end.
For example: you have a profit boost to use on Game 1 of the World Series. You pick Shohei Ohtani to throw 7+ innings and record 10+ strikeouts. Your initial odds could be at something like +300, but when adding a specific profit boost to it, it could grow to something like +400 or +500 depending on the percentage that the sportsbook gives you.
Profit Boost promos are lucky promotions to think about before using since the reward is so great.
This kind of existing promo is known as a referral program. The referral program at sportsbooks is very simple and rewarding for all parties involved who are interested in online sports betting.
An example would be a "Refer $50, Get $50" bonus. If you refer a friend to sign up with a link from your favorite sportsbook's referral program, both you and the friend will receive $50 in bonus bets once the sign up process is complete.
A special event promotion is when a sportsbook has a boost or parlay wager promoted because of a big sporting event. A sportsbook like FanDuel may offer certain profit boosts or parlays in their promos section during big events like the CFP Championship game or the Super Bowl.
These existing promotions are popular when big events happen because casual sports viewers and bettors will check out their sportsbook of choice for a special event promo.
Finally, rewards programs are loyalty rewards for sticking with one specific sportsbook throughout online sports betting. Not every major sportsbook will have a rewards program, but major ones like Fanatics Sportsbook do. Fanatics rewards their users in percentages of FanCash back, which can be turned into bonus bets or used as credits on Fanatics clothing in the future.
The rewards program is one of the sportsbook promos that most sports bettors should be taking advantage of.
The major sportsbooks in North Carolina have plenty of different entertaining sports betting types for players to enjoy. Learn about how these bet types work below!
Moneylines in sports betting may be the most popular way to sports bet! When you place a bet on the moneyline, that means you are picking that team or person to win that specific sporting event.
For example: let's say the New York Knicks are in Boston to face the Celtics on a big Friday night ESPN matchup. You've been following both teams recently and feel like the Knicks can win this important game on the road, so you check out the moneyline odds on your favorite sportsbook.
They have the Knicks moneyline at +205. If you were to bet that moneyline with $10 from your pocket, your potential winnings if the Knicks win would be a profit of $20.50, with a payout of $30.50 because you would get your stake back.
Now, let's say you change your mind and want to pick the Celtics as the moneyline favorite at home. The sportsbook has them at -250, which means your $10 bet would profit $4.00 in a Celtics win, and a $14.00 payout since the stake is still coming back in a win.
Underdogs are always the more profitable way to wager on moneylines, but that doesn't mean you always have to pick an underdog. Simply make the moneyline bet that you believe in when sports betting, and the rest will follow.
A parlay is a very exciting way to wager money when sports betting. Parlays are where the sports bettor combines multiple different wagers into one whole bet. We'll follow the Knicks @ Celtics matchup for this example below.
Let's say that you want to make a sports betting parlay for the game. You feel comfortable betting on multiple different aspects of the game, so you want to combine a few different parts of it into one bet.
Once North Carolina sports betting launches, you can use one of the major sportsbooks in the state to do this!
Your parlay could be something like this: Julius Randle to score 30+ points, Jayson Tatum to hit 4+ threes, and the Celtics to cover the spread at home.
Putting all three of these wagers into one big parlay would make your odds very high when compared to a single wager. Your parlay odds settle at +600, and you put down $10 on this one as well.
This means your profit would be $60.00 with a $70.00 return, making this a very profitable parlay. But, it is always important to remember that parlays are some of the riskiest parts of sports betting, and you should always gamble responsibly.
If you like betting on team points, then wagering on the totals is the right kind of sports betting for you.
Totals betting is when you pick a team to hit the over or under on a certain amount of points in the contest. It's as simple as that.
Let's say your sportsbook has the Knicks @ Celtics team total at 235.5 for the night. You can basically either bet that the combined amount of points in the game will be above 235.5 or under. So if the team total hits 236+ points, you've got the over. If the team total is 235 or less, you've got the under!
Spreads in sports betting is also one of the most popular ways to gamble on sports.
Spreads are called different things in different sports, but they all narrow down to the same thing: will a team win by a certain amount of points, or will they cover the spread by making sure they don't lose by more than a certain amount of points.
Sound confusing at all? That's alright! We've got an example for you.
For the basketball game example we've been using, the spread would look like this: Knicks +6.5 and Celtics -6.5. If the Celtics win the game by 7+ points, they would cover the spread.
But, if they win by only 6 or less, they would not cover it, and the Knicks would cover. Also, if the Knicks win the game, they would still be considered as covering the spread.
This means that an underdog spread cover is likely one of the ways to get a good payout when sports betting on a spread.
Betting on the futures in sports can be one of the more unique styles of wagering that North Carolina bettors choose to do.
Futures is when a NC sports bettor picks a future event, award, statistic and more to happen in sports. They can be for a soccer player like Lionel Messi to score a certain amount of goals in his next MLS season, or a team like the Los Angeles Lakers to win the next NBA Finals.
Some North Carolina sportsbooks have legal sports betting options to place futures wagers into parlays, making them an enticing way to try and predict the sports future. If you think you know who will win the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals in June, go ahead and make a futures bet today.
Prop bets in sports betting are smaller types of bets in sports that are based on events happening in a single match. Let's use the Knicks @ Celtics game from earlier.
You think that Jayson Tatum is due for a rough shooting night. If you like the under on the amount of points he'll score, simply navigate over to the player points section of your sportsbook and pick the under.
Or, if you think the Celtics will get off to a hot start, you could also make a wager on something like "Celtics first half -4.5," which means they would be up by at least 5 points at halftime to win the game.
Prop bets are not bets on what decides a sporting event, but instead are ways to be sports betting on something that you think will or will not happen during that event.
Live sports betting can be a thrilling way to sports bet in North Carolina. This style of betting is simple: you place a wager while the sporting event is already going on.
You turn on the TV and the Knicks are beating the Celtics by 10 in the 3rd quarter. But you believe that the Celtics will spark a comeback at home and eventually win the game.
You can make a live bet on the Celtics moneyline—now likely as the underdog since they are losing late in the game—and wait to see what happens. Your live bet has been placed, and now all you have to do is watch.
Both professional and college sports are some of the biggest pieces of entertainment and fandom amongst North Carolina citizens.
North Carolina bettors are eager to place wagers on historic teams like Duke or UNC, or to bet on young stars like LaMelo Ball or Bryce Young as they play in the pros.
Here's a look at popular teams among North Carolina sports bettors:
These local pro teams are common betting options in NC:
The Carolina Panthers are actually one of the "youngest" franchises in the NFL, but they still have a lot of history and true fans in the mix.
The Panthers have made two Super Bowls in the last 20+ years: Super Bowl XXXVIII and Super Bowl 50. In their first Super Bowl they lost to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, and in the second they fell to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
The Panthers have been led in the past by stars like Cam Newton or Steve Smith, but now they are rebuilding with the number one pick in the 2023 NFL Draft: Bryce Young. Bryce won a national championship and Heisman back in his college days, but his rookie season was a tough one for the NC NFL team.
The Panthers finished the year 2-15 and don't even have the first pick in the 2024 draft since they traded it to Chicago for the chance to snag Young last year.
The Charlotte Hornets have been a staple of the North Carolina sports scene since they arrived back in the late 1980's with those famous colorful jerseys and warmup gear.
Of course, the team was moved to New Orleans in 2002, but the city got an NBA team back a couple of years later when the Bobcats were an expansion team. In 2014 the team changed back to the name of the Hornets, and the last 10 years has had its ups and downs.
Former NBA All-Star Kemba Walker led the Hornets to a 48-34 record back in 2016, but that team lost to Miami in the first round of the playoffs.
Charlotte hasn't made the playoffs since as the team has been in rebuild mode for a few years now. Young phenom LaMelo Ball has been at the helm of the team since he was drafted with the 3rd overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Hornets fans can also be excited about their talented rookie Brandon Miller as he and LaMelo try to to bring them back to the NBA playoffs sometime in the future.
The Carolina Hurricanes are currently one of the best teams to watch in the NHL. Formerly known as the Hartford Whalers, the Hurricanes moved in to Carolina in the 1990s.
They won the Stanley Cup in 2006 in seven games against the Edmonton Oilers. The Hurricanes have won their division for three straight years—and even made the Conference Finals last year—but haven't won a Stanley Cup since 2006.
Their young Finnish star Sebastian Aho has been with the franchise since 2015. Aho has proven to be one of the best players in the NHL already throughout his young career. North Carolina sports bettors will look forward to betting on his points on a nightly basis as he has a knack for helping his team score plenty of goals.
While NC has a respectable bunch of pro teams, its collegiate teams are the real stars of the show:
Duke has been one of the most popular collegiate sports programs for decades now thanks to recently retired basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, who helped bring the research university to the forefront of the sporting world.
Now Duke has been growing their sports strength into all facets of college sports, including football, golf, soccer, lacrosse and more.
As new Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer continues to lead the men's program to the top of the ACC, the Blue Devils' fans expect he and the program to continue competing for national championships just like Coach K did for decades.
UNC has as just a big basketball program as Duke in the state of North Carolina—and they're only separated by a few miles.
The Tar Heels have had a long list of former coaches and players lead them to national championships: Michael Jordan, Dean Smith, Tyler Hansbrough, Roy Williams, James Worthy, Jerry Stackhouse, Sam Perkins and more.
UNC also has a rich history in other sports like baseball, football, soccer, lacrosse, tennis, field hockey and golf.
North Carolina is filled with a rich history of collegiate sports teams besides just Duke and UNC.
The NC State Wolfpack have competed valiantly with their rivals for generations. The Wolfpack even won the men's basketball national championship in both 1974 and 1983. They usually compete well with other North Carolina schools each season in sports like basketball, football, baseball and soccer.
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are settled in cozy Winston-Salem, NC, where they have one of the best research universities in the Southern United States.
The Demon Deacons men's basketball program was lead by Basketball Hall of Famer Tim Duncan from 1993-1997 before he won five NBA titles with the Spurs.
Wake Forest has had plenty of other famous athletes spend their time on campus: Arnold Palmer, Muggsy Bogues, Chris Paul, Brian Piccolo, Len Chappell, Noah Rubin and more.
The Demon Deacons usually compete very well with ACC rivals UNC, Duke and NC State each year. In 2024 they are playing some great team basketball to continue their school tradition.
Getting your money into the North Carolina sports betting apps is easy.
Popular sportsbooks like BetMGM or FanDuel have secure and smooth services to both deposit and withdraw from your sports betting accounts.
Depositing real money to your North Carolina sports betting account is safe and instantaneous. Options like credit cards, debit cards, PayPal and other e-commerce options are available.
Withdrawals aren't be quite as fast as depositing since the sportsbooks want you to be able to place your bets immediately, but you can expect to receive your winnings that you withdraw within 24-48 hours from most major North Carolina sportsbooks.
Your withdrawal options when done sports betting are straight to your bank account, cards, PayPal, etc.
Have questions about North Carolina sports betting? Check out these common questions with our answers below!
Yes, sports betting is legal in North Carolina! It was legalized in 2023 by Governor Roy Cooper and the state government. North Carolina sports betting officially launched on March 11, 2024, with pre-registration opening on March 1, 2024.
To take part in North Carolina sports betting you must be at least 21 or older. No one under the age of 21 can legally gamble in North Carolina.
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission regulates and licenses legal sports betting in the state.
No, you just have to be in state lines to bet in North Carolina. Sports betting in North Carolina will only work for you if they can geotarget you as being in state lines.
You can bet on sports in North Carolina by using online sportsbooks like DraftKings, FanDuel, ESPN BET, Fanatics, Caesars, bet365, BetMGM, and Underdog Sports.
More must-reads:
Bark Bets is Yardbarker's free daily guide to the world of sports betting. You'll get:
Subscribe now!