North Carolina Sports Betting Pre-Registration Window Set to Open Friday

After almost nine months of waiting, North Carolina bettors can finally sign up for online sportsbooks. 

The Tar Heel State’s pre-registration window is set to open on Friday, March 1. That will allow bettors to sign up for online sportsbooks and claim pre-registration bonuses that are expected to be available for each.

Bettors are expected to be able to choose from a pool of eight online sportsbooks that will be ready to launch on March 11. While the North Carolina Lottery Commission (NCLC) has not officially approved any operating licenses, they have confirmed eight are on track to be approved before Friday. They did not confirm which of the nine applies, but these eight are expected to be ready:

• bet365

• BetMGM

• DraftKings

• Fanatics

• FanDuel

• ESPN Bet

• Caesars Sportsbook

• Underdog Sports

The ninth is the Catawba Nation, which decided to apply for a license plate and is currently working to establish an operating partner. The Catawba Two Kings Casino has a retail sportsbook on-site and is looking to expand into online sports betting.

The launch of sports betting will allow bettors to begin wagering before NCAA conference tournaments and March Madness begin.

North Carolina Preparing for Spike in Problem Gambling

The Tar Heel State has been working hard to establish problem gambling programs as they prepare to launch online sports betting on March 11. They recently approved a self-exclusion program and agreed to spend at least $2 million per year on the North Carolina Problem Gambling Program. 

The program is already working to prepare for the launch, looking to help bettors protect their finances and prevent underage betting. 

“We’ve already started executing in small ways so that as the funding comes in, we can build upon that,” NCPGP coordinator Alison Wood said. 

North Carolina will have the advantage of learning from the other 30+ states that have already launched sports betting markets. The state has taken its time and pushed the launch of sports betting to ensure they are as prepared as possible.