7 Sports Betting Operators Named for North Carolina Launch

The Dec. 27 legal sports betting application deadline passed with seven North Carolina sports betting apps hopefuls named.

Though the deadline was more of an outline rather than a locked date for application, the seven best sports betting sites named are expected to gain serious consideration to make up what should be a robust North Carolina legal sports betting scene.

A total of eight sports venues will house a North Carolina best sports betting app. Following the deadline, the North Carolina Lottery Commission is one step closer to a launch date. The state is on track to have legal mobile sports betting sometime before March Madness, which begins March 19.

The lucky seven

Seven potential North Carolina sportsbooks were named at the Dec. 27 deadline. So far, though, just four of the seven operators have fulfilled a mandated partnership deal with one of the state's sports franchises or sporting venues.

The first seven potential North Carolina sports betting sites include:

• bet365, partnered with the NBA's Charlotte Hornets
• BetMGM
• DraftKings
• Fanatics Betting and Gaming, partnered with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes
• FanDuel, partnered with the PGA Tour
• PENN Sports Interactive (ESPN BET), partnered with Quail Hollow Club
• Underdog Sports Wagering, LLC

That leaves three potential North Carolina sports betting apps that must partner with a sports team or venue in the state. It's rumored a DraftKings North Carolina partnership deal will be announced soon.

What about Caesars?

Caesars is conspicuously absent from the list of providers that have already submitted applications to join the North Carolina legal mobile sports betting family. It's interesting because the sportsbook already has a presence in the Tar Heel State, thanks to its existing relationship with tribal casinos in the state.

Those tribal casinos already offer retail sports betting at their facilities, with Caesars providing the platform for sports bettors in the Tar Heel State.

The reason cited for Caesars not being listed among the seven operators in the commission's report is that the national gaming behemoth has not yet applied as an operator for mobile sports betting in the state. It did, though, apply as a "service provider," which involves a slightly different process.

However, Caesars is expected to go live in the state with its mobile sportsbook through the tribal partnership.

More to come?

Despite the deadline passing, the North Carolina State Lottery Commission signaled that it will continue to accept applications.

According to a commission press release: “Commission staff are now compiling and organizing the large volume of information contained in each application in order to assess the completeness of each submission and then undertake a substantive review.”

Under North Carolina law, up to 12 licenses can be handed out by the Commission. With seven operator applications confirmed and another in the wings, there is certainly more to come for the legal sports betting operator application process in the Tar Heel State.

March on

While missing out on the biggest sports betting event on American soil, the Super Bowl, all signs point to March Madness, the second-biggest annual sporting event on the U.S. calendar, as the jumping-off point for North Carolina sports betting.

Gov. Roy Cooper reiterated in a recent interview the hopeful timeframe for North Carolina's sports betting apps launch.

“The goal is to get it out there before March Madness,” he said. “There is no guarantee that is the case but that is the goal.”