North Carolina has taken a step closer to launching legal sports betting after the US state’s lottery commission set a deadline of 26 January for operators to submit their internal controls.
Operators applying for a sports betting licence in North Carolina must send over proposed controls by this date. The North Carolina State Lottery said this helps ensure the applicant is ready to launch on the market’s opening day.
The deadline was set during a Commission meeting staged yesterday (10 January). During the same meeting, the Commission approved processes and documents advising applicants on submitting internal controls for approval.
Each licensed operator must receive approval of internal controls before offering bets in North Carolina.
Uncertainty remains over opening date
North Carolina is yet to set a launch date for legal sports betting, although it is expected to be in March 2024. Commission chair Ripley Rand previously said this will mainly hinge on how long the licence application process takes.
The Commission will need to review all applications and supporting information. It must also complete background checks and analyse internal control details before it can set a launch date.
The Commission is currently reviewing the applications of nine prospective operators. The application process launched at the start of December after the state’s governor, Roy Cooper, signed House Bill 347 into law in June.
Final decision due on sports betting rules
Uncertainty also remains over sports betting rules in North Carolina. The Commission is yet to finalise these rules, although some measures were set out in the bill signed off last year.
These include bets being allowed across college sports, esports and other sports matches authorised by the Commission. Tax will be set at 18% of each licence holder’s gross gaming revenue.
There is also a stipulation whereby operators must have a written designation agreement with a sports team, league or venue in order to launch sports betting.
Among those seeking a licence is BetMGM, which has struck a market access agreement with Charlotte Motor Speedway. Located in Concord, North Carolina, the complex regularly hosts stock car racing series Nascar.
Upon announcing this arrangement, BetMGM said that it hoped the North Carolina market would open before the end of Q1.
Also preparing to launch in the state is DraftKings, which will partner with Nascar. The deal makes DraftKings the exclusive daily fantasy sports partner of Nascar in the US and Canada.
DraftKings will also be an authorised gaming operator of Nascar and benefit from additional sponsorship benefits across the series.
Fanatics Betting and Gaming has also begun its market entry process, entering into a long-term partnership agreement with NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. This will see Fanatics become the team’s official sports betting partner.
The partnership gives Fanatics Sportsbook access to the North Carolina market for mobile sports betting, as well as the opportunity to put a retail sportsbook at PNC Arena.
Commission approves testing laboratories
In other news, the Commission has given its approval to two independent test laboratories to work with companies in North Carolina.
Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) and BMM Testlabs can evaluate gaming equipment, software and processes for compliance with state law and Commission rules
The Commission is still accepting submissions from other entities that would like to serve as an independent testing laboratory.
