Georgia residents frustrated by the lack of a legal market in their state have been attempting to place bets in North Carolina following the launch of sports betting here, according to geolocation data from GeoComply.
GeoComply data shows that more than 33,000 geolocation check-ins with NC sportsbooks originated from Georgia in the first two weeks of legal North Carolina online sports betting, which was launched on March 11.
North Carolina drawing out-of-state bettors during March Madness
Not only Georgia but very likely South Carolina residents have been creeping into the Tar Heel State to place bets on college basketball and other sports since early March.
GeoComply is a leading technology company that provides geolocation services to gaming platforms to ensure that customers are within the legal boundaries of specific markets. It also combats fraud and ensures compliance with state regulations for sports betting, casinos and more. The GeoComply website boasts of partnerships with many leading brands in the space, including BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel and Golden Nugget.
From March 11-24, GeoComply reported roughly 258,000 geolocation checks from people in Georgia attempting to bet in neighboring states, according to John Pappas, senior advisor at GeoComply. Of those attempts, 13%, or about 33,500 people, tried to bet on sports in NC.
Georgia may soon legalize online sportsbooks
Sports fans in the Peach State may not have to wait long to wager in their own backyard. Georgia lawmakers could vote on a bill to legalize online sportsbooks as soon as today.
The powerful Georgia House Committee on Higher Education pushed a Georgia sports betting bill through early on Thursday morning, the last day of the Georgia General Assembly. Should it pass the House, it would go to the voters as a ballot referendum in November.
In less than a month, North Carolina online sports betting has proven that legalized online sportsbooks are popular and can be successful. After just 24 hours of operation, BetMGM called NC sports betting “a smash success.” Within the first 48 hours, an astounding 5.36 million geolocation checks were performed in the North Carolina market, making it one of the largest initial launches in the US.