North Carolina Sports Betting + NC Online Sports Betting

The legalization of sports betting continues to pick up steam around the United States. Many states have embraced the change, welcoming the added economic boost to the state. Others have seen their bills meet opposition, as the legal battle has halted the fun, for now. North Carolina is one of the states where online sports betting and online sports betting apps have a bleak outlook. Let’s get into the top-five things you need to know for North Carolina sports betting and NC online sports betting apps.

1) Is North Carolina Sports Betting Legal?

North Carolina does not have established online bookmakers, nor do they have provisions in place to allow for mobile betting within land-based casinos. Once sports betting fully becomes legal in the near future, North Carolinians will have to settle for offshore books if they want to wager online.

2) What Bills are Currently Before the State Legislature?

Legalization in North Carolina officially took in July of 2019 with bill S 154, but that restricted legal sports gambling to two tribal casinos listed below. Because North Carolina has historically held a fairly staunch anti-gambling stance for years, they did not have preparations in place for the legalization. As such, nearly a year after legalization, regulations and other such logistical matters have not fully taken hold yet. And with the COVID-19 outbreak putting a halt on sports, this process is likely to take a back seat for the time being. So sports gambling is legal on paper in the state of North Carolina, but it has not taken full effect and may still be a ways away from doing so.

3) What are the Next Steps for NC Sports Betting?

There are two approved casinos for placing in-person bets on sports:

Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel and Casino in Cherokee, N.C.
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel in Murphy, N.C.

Cherokee, N.C., is located on the Tennessee border, not particularly close to any major North Carolina city and about an hour west of Asheville, N.C. Murphy is even farther out of the way in the very southwest corner of North Carolina, about equidistant from Chattanooga, Tenn., Knoxville, Tenn. and Asheville. Neither casino is particularly convenient for residents of any of North Carolina’s major metropolises, as Charlotte is the closest major city at over three hours away. So there are no “easily accessibly” gambling locations in the state for most residents without making it a day or weekend trip.

4) What are the Most Popular Teams to Bet on in North Carolina?

North Carolina separated itself from stricter states by allowing wagering on all college sports. While some states like Washington do not permit betting on intrastate collegiate sports, North Carolina will permit betting on all NCAA sports teams, including the University of North Carolina and Duke University. Given that college basketball is probably the most popular sport in the state, that was a significant facet to North Carolina’s legalization.

Also available for wagering will be all professional sports teams and leagues, including but not limited to the Carolina Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes and Charlotte Hornets.

5) Is There Anything Else to Know About North Carolina Sports Betting?

At this time, sports betting is not legal online in North Carolina. State legislatures will convene from April to July, so there is a decent window where further sports gambling bills could be on the table. Until then, like other states, residents of North Carolina will have to settle for offshore bookmakers to gamble online at their own risk. Essentially, these offshore sites are not strictly illegal, so they are effectively legal.

What are the Most Common Types of Bets I Can Make in North Carolina?

Straight bet

This is the most common bet type and it is just a straight up single bet on a game. A point spread is determined by the oddsmakers with one team being favored by a certain amount of points. Let’s take a look at an example line below to give a clear indication of what a straight bet would be:

Boston Celtics -6.5 (-110), moneyline -320

at Cleveland Cavaliers +6.5 (-110), moneyline +260

O/U 206

The Celtics are favored by 6.5 points in this example. This means that if you bet the Cavaliers, you are getting 6.5 points, so if the Cavaliers win the game, or lose by fewer than seven points, you will win the bet because of your 6.5-point cushion. On the other side, when you are laying 6.5 points as the favorite, you would need the Celtics to win by seven or more to win the bet.

Final Score: Celtics 102 Cavaliers 98. Cavaliers would cover even though the Celtics won the game because the +6.5 point spread is enough to cover a four-point defeat.

Moneyline Bet

The moneyline is a bet where there is no spread; you are just picking the winner of the game. In the example above, the Cavaliers ML is +260, which means that for every $100 wagered, you win $260 if the Cavaliers win the game outright. They receive the plus side of the moneyline since they are the underdog and picking them rewards you with nice odds since they are projected to likely lose the game. On the flip side, if you bet the Celtics ML at -320, you have to bet $320 to win $100. They are the favorites so if you decide to bet the moneyline instead of the point spread, you are forced to bet additional money to win $100.

In the example above, the Celtics ML would be the winner as they won the game outright. The spread is irrelevant for a moneyline wager.

Over/Under

This is a straight bet wagering on how many total combined points will be scored in a game by both teams. For example, an NBA game may have an over/under of 210 points, which means that the oddsmakers are projecting a combined points total of 210 between the two teams. If you think the teams are going to score more than 210 points total, you bet the over, and conversely, if you think it’s going to be a defensive struggle, you can bet the under hoping that the total points scored equals 209 points or less.

Parlay

A parlay is a bet where you combine multiple bets into one bet and you get increased odds because you only win your parlay wager if all of your bets win. If you do a three-team parlay, you select three different teams from three different games and if you win all three of the bets you hit your parlay for longshot odds (6-1 so $100 to win $600). Going 0/3, 1/3, or 2/3 is all the same and you lose the parlay bet. It’s all or nothing which makes them tough to hit and is more of a home run type bet than a regular straight bet since there’s a chance for a big payoff.

North Carolina Sports Betting FAQs