North Carolina Sports Betting Bill Would Expand State’s Retail Market

North Carolina’s sports betting bill has the potential to drastically change retail betting in the state. In-person sports betting already exists, but in a very limited form.

North Carolina’s new bill would allow Las Vegas-style sportsbooks to open in new locations across the state. The retail industry has a lot of potential, but North Carolina sports betting needs expansion to take advantage of it.

Retail sports betting at tribal casinos in North Carolina

North Carolina’s sports betting expansion bill is making its way through the state Senate. It becoming law would be a game-changer for the state’s retail industry.

The only way to legally bet on sports in the Tar Heel State is to visit one of the state’s three tribal casinos. Each of those locations features a retail sportsbook.

Catawba Two Kings, Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee River Valley are your three casino options in North Carolina. That doesn’t leave most residents in a reasonable spot.

Unless you happen to live nearby a casino and its sportsbook, there’s no way for you to conveniently place legal sports bets. That would finally change if House Bill 347 succeeds.

New bill plans to green light stadium sportsbooks

North Carolina’s sports betting bill would allow the state’s stadiums to open betting lounges for in-person wagering.

The Carolina Panthers, for example, could open a lounge at Bank of America Stadium.

The plan is to let arenas with a capacity of at least 17,000 people join the fun. That means that the following locations could open a retail sportsbook:

  • Spectrum Stadium;
  • Bank of America Stadium;
  • PNC Arena;
  • WakeMed Soccer Park;
  • Sedgefield Country Club
  • Quail Hollow Country Club
  • North Wilkesboro Speedway;
  • Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The bill’s current version would also allow golf tournaments with at least 50,000 spectators to open a temporary sportsbook.

For North Carolina, that means betting at Quail Hollow Country Club. The venue hosts the Wells Fargo PGA Tour event, which is how it meets the requirement for a sportsbook.

Although lounges at these stadiums are all possibilities, there’s no guarantee every stadium will open one. Some areas might opt for a more basic sportsbook-branded area for mobile betting, while others could go for the full retail experience.

Regardless, this is still a massive potential expansion compared with where retail betting in the state currently stands. If North Carolina’s sports betting bill becomes law, the landscape will shift dramatically.

About the Author

Jake Garza

Jake Garza is a US Gambling Industry Analyst for Catena Media. He specializes in sports betting and casino content. Prior to covering the legal gambling industry, he spent time as a professional sports writer, reporting on teams such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers. Garza has been covering the gambling industry since 2019, and currently works with a team of other journalists to provide comprehensive coverage of the legal U.S. gambling industry.