NC Lottery Commisson Updates Guidance On eSports, Parimutuel Wagering

NC eSports betting and parimutuel wagering got an update from the North Carolina Lottery Commission.

Just last week, the NCLC Sports Betting Committee approved new sports betting requirements for eSports. The full commission has ratified those requirements and also given an update on next steps for implementing parimutuel horse race gambling.

Here’s a closer look at those updates and what they mean for NC online sports betting.

NCLC update regarding esports betting in North Carolina

Specifically, the NCLC approved Electronic Sports Guidance, which will provide the commission’s gaming compliance and sports betting division with a way to regulate the space. The guidance document reads,

“While eSports Competitions resemble traditional sports in many ways, the growing eSports industry presents unique governance, integrity, and technological circumstances for the Commission’s consideration when new wagers and events are proposed for sports wagering purposes.”

The guidance outlines several things, including different wager types eSports wagers may consist of, including:

  • Exchange wagering (two or more players place identically opposing wagers on a given market, allowing players to wager on both winning and non-winning outcomes in the same event)
  • In-game wagering
  • In-play wagers
  • Moneyline
  • Over-Under
  • Parlays
  • Pool
  • Proposition Wagers
  • Single-game wagers
  • Straight wagers
  • Teaser wagers

Additionally, the document includes the eSports Petition, which allows operators to petition different wagering types of esports events.

The guide consists of six sections. These sections group different questions to help the NCLC staff evaluate the eSports proposals to be included with sports wagering.

What does this mean for NC online sports betting?

It means North Carolina is one step closer to joining the growing list of states offering legal eSports gambling. No one body governs eSports gambling nationally, as it’s up to the states themselves to regulate the industry.

“Governance for eSports and eSports competition is often characterized as ‘decentralizedd because private contractual forces play a significant role when a publisher or copyright holder chooses not to organize competitions itself,” the NCLC document reads.

eSports as a whole has gone through some rough patches in the US, but with North Carolina moving forward on launching the market, that appears to be changing. Being able to cash in on the attention and allow wagering on these activities would be a big move for the Tar Heel State.

This comes shortly after the commission announced progress toward opening retail sports betting.

NC parimutuel wagering update

North Carolina has yet to launch its parimutuel horse race wagering industry.

House Bill 347 passed in June 2023. That bill legalized both NC online sports betting and parimutuel horse race betting. Unlike sports betting, though, parimutuel horse race betting has been slow to get off the ground.

As of now, there is “no projected launch date,” according to the NCLC’s website.

However, the NCLC’s update did include next steps.

Public comments regarding the Notice of Rulemaking for parimutuel wagering are officially open online until 11:59 p.m. ET on Oct. 18. The commission will also hold a public comment session on Oct. 8 at 9 a.m. at its headquarters in Raleigh.

If you’d rather email your comments, the commission will accept them electronically. In addition to your comments, you’ll need to include your name, contact information, business or organization (if applicable) and the rule you are directing your comments to specifically. Those emails can be sent to [email protected].

About the Author

Adam Hensley

Adam Hensley's byline has appeared in the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated and sites within the USA Today Network. Hensley graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 and spent his college career working as an editor and reporter for the Daily Iowan’s sports department.