Column: Bet on North Carolina
History is being made today in North Carolina as legalized online sportsbook gambling begins.
What will that mean for local citizens and for people all over North Carolina?
If you have not turned on TV, or listened to the radio over the last month, you may have not heard that last June 2023 North Carolina Legislature approved legalized gambling online in North Carolina.
Online sports betting goes live in North Carolina on March 11, 2024, just in time for college basketball’s March Madness tournaments. Through the use of online apps you can now place bets on professional and college sports. In order to access these betting apps you must first pre register. Registration began on March 1, allowing sports fans to be ready for today’s excitement.
North Carolinians can now bet on just about every sport including; football, basketball, hockey and even NASCAR. The betting also includes E sports. But the big thing in North Carolina, you can bet on college sports. Some states don't allow college sports betting, but obviously with North Carolina being the hoop state and home of college basketball in some respects, you'll be able to bet you know how many points a player is going to score or if a team can win.
“The plan approved means that North Carolinians will be able to place bets on their favorite teams in many of this year’s college basketball conference tournaments, including men’s tournaments in the ACC, Conference USA, the MEAC, and the AAC, as well as throughout the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments,” said Ripley Rand, chair of the commission. “Bets on sporting events have been made for as long as those events have taken place, but this time they will be legal, they will be done securely and fairly, and they will be made under rules designed to encourage responsible gaming.”
State law allows for 13 operators in North Carolina, so more could apply for licenses later. Each licenses costs $1 million. Current licensed operators are: bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, ESPN Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook, FanDuel, Underdog Sports and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, whose online wagering will be handled by Caesars Sportsbook, which was awarded a supplier license.
Wagering in the state begins on March 11. But are North Carolina citizens ready? Are parents, churches, schools and communities ready for mass cultural adoption of legalized gambling? Will the gambling addiction hotlines and services be enough to handle mass gambling?
The North Carolina legislature's Fiscal Research Division estimated that in the first fiscal year after the law goes into effect, the state would see $64.6 million in revenue. Four years out, the division estimated revenue would reach $100.6 million.
Where will that money go?
The colleges eligible to receive the $300,000 are Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, North Carolina Central University, University of North Carolina at Asheville, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Western Carolina University and Winston-Salem State University.
If any sports betting tax revenue remains, it will be distributed three other ways.
20% distributed equally among the 13 UNC colleges noted above to support their athletic departments
30% to the North Carolina Major Events, Games, and Attractions Fun
50% to the general fund
Is North Carolina ready for the cultural shift of behavior?
Are our schools, churches, families, and communities ready for the increase in gambling?
There are many questions to address as North Carolina moves towards legalized online gambling.
1-800-GAMBLER can connect you to a variety of resources related to gambling-related issues. The specific services and resources available through 1-800-GAMBLER may vary depending on the region you are calling from, but may include:
Information and education about problem gambling, including its signs and symptoms.
Referrals to local or national organizations, therapists, counselors or support groups that specialize in treating gambling addiction.
Treatment options, such as counseling, therapy, peer-support programs or residential treatment.
Guidance on how to self-exclude from gambling establishments or online gambling sites, if available in your area, to help you limit your access to gambling.
Financial counseling to assist in managing and addressing financial problems that may have arisen due to gambling addiction.
Resources and support for family members and loved ones affected by gambling-related harm.
A new era in North Carolina culture is here and how that changes our future is yet to be determined but hopefully everything will balance out between opportunities to raise funds for good causes and expand treatment to minimize future harm to those vulnerable to gambling addictions.
