After much anticipation and hype, the day is finally here as online sports betting is now officially legal in North Carolina! Now all NC residents over the age of 21 will be able to place online bets and wagers for almost every major sporting event, including the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new betting craze in North Carolina, how you can get involved, and how you can do so responsibly.

North Carolina was technically approved for online betting late last year, but for a while there was little to no word on when it would take effect. Shortly after the NC General Assembly set a deadline for June 15, an official launch date was made for March 11.

The excitement is palpable throughout the state. In a recent survey by BetCarolina.com nearly one in three North Carolina residents said they were “likely” or “very likely” to participate in online sports betting now that it’s legal. The survey also revealed that one in six NC residents plan on placing sports bets as often as once a week.

With so much buzz surrounding the new sports betting venture, it makes sense why North Carolina is projected to have the highest first-year handle in the market. The Tar Heel state is expected to generate over $6.5 billion through betting sites. A few key factors go into this projection, including North Carolina’s population, economic status, and thriving sports scene.

There’s a lot to be excited about with online sports betting now legal in NC, especially with March Madness underway. Now you can literally put your money where your mouth is when cheering on your favorite teams to victory. There are a few key pieces of information to help you get started. Here’s everything you need to know about sports betting in North Carolina!

• 1. The Sites You Can Bet On

  If you’ve been online anytime in the last couple weeks, chances are you have seen some (or… a lot) of ads for the various sites you can bet through. Yes, these are all legit companies.

  But it’s important to know that there are only EIGHT companies that you can do this through.

  Eight sports-betting started taking wagers today. These sites include Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, ESPN BET, Fanatics, FanDuel and Underdog. According to a recent poll, DraftKings and FanDuel are the most popular apps among new North Carolina betters.

  Most of these sites have been promoting bonuses for new NC customers, seen here.

  The difference between all of them is mostly just brand preference. They all functionally do the same thing. They let you see games going on, and the various ways you can bet on them.

  The differences are mostly in the small details, like how they package special bets and promotions. It’s overwhelming at first, but once you find one you like, stick with it. As we said, DraftKings and FanDuel are the big dogs in the hunt.

  The Charlotte Ledger on Instagram: "North Carolina's newly authorized sports betting websites are offering hundreds of dollars in free bets to lure prospective gamblers, ahead of the debut of legal sports wagering next week. The platforms, such as DraftKings and FanDuel, are each offering promotional deals that encourage players to sign up now, ahead of the March 11 start of legalized online gambling in the state. The most common type of incentive is what's known as a "bonus bet" - a credit that can't be immediately cashed out but that can be used to gamble. Read on to find out how it works and how armchair mathematicians say gamblers can best use them to make money. The General Assembly authorized sports betting last June, on the theory that surrounding states such as Virginia and Tennessee have adopted it and that the state was forgoing tax revenue. 📷 Photo by JESHOOTS.com via pexels.com Read the full article at the link in bio 🔗 . . . #thecharlotteledger #sportsgambling #cltledger"

  6 likes, 0 comments - thecharlotteledger on March 4, 2024: "North Carolina's newly authorized sports betting websites are offering hundreds of dollars in free bets to lure prospective gamblers, a...".

• Common Sports Betting Terms

  You’ll see words like “moneyline” and “parlays” thrown around often on nearly every online sportsbook. While these words can be confusing at first, they’re incredibly simple to understand once you get the hang of it.

  The good folks over at BetCarolina.com have some good primers for you on major terms.

  Here’s the big stuff though:

  • Moneyline: This is how you just pick someone to win or lose a game. So if you want to bet on North Carolina to beat Duke (sorry Blue Devil fans), you’d take North Carolina on the moneyline. Those odds are listed in a + or – figure like +100 or -250. A negative number means they are favored to win, and illustrates how much you’d win based on a $100 bet. In our example there, if you bet $100 on an underdog of +100, you’d cash out with $200. And on the flipside, you’d have to bet $250 to win $100 on a -250 bet, where you would cash out $350
  • Point Spreads: You’ve all heard this term. This is where you’re betting on a team to win by a certain amount of points. So if Duke is favored over North Carolina by say, 3 points, the spread would be -3 for Duke or +3 for North Carolina. The Blue Devils would have to actually win by 4 in that scenario for you to win your bet. A win by 3 points would net a draw. You’d just get your money back. That’s why you’ll see half points (also called “the hook”) of like, -2.5. That means if Duke wins by 3, you win. But if they win by 2, you lose. No draws on hook bets.
  • Over-Under: This is pretty simple too. You’re betting on the combined total points in a game (or some apps allow for betting over-under on an individual team). So if the over-under on Duke-UNC is 150, and you bet the over, you need the total final score to combine for MORE than 150 points. Or less than if you bet the under. You get the idea.

  Here are a few other words you’ll need to know in the world of online sports betting thanks to BetCarolina.com:

  – Parlays

  – Futures

  – Prop Bets

  – Odds & Lines

  – Live Betting

• Physical Sportsbook Locations

  While statewide sports betting is online only, there are physical brick-and-mortar sportsbooks open at North Carolina’s three tribal casinos.

  You can find these sportsbooks at Catawba Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain, Cherokee Casino in Cherokee, and Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort which is also in Cherokee.

• March Madness Betting

  The NCAA Tournament is exactly why sports betting went live today. State Lottery officials wanted to take advantage of letting North Carolina residents bet on one of the most gambled on sporting events of the year. To not be ready for that would have been a major loss.

  So it’s just in time, as Selection Sunday is coming this weekend, and the Tournament will begin next week. There will be TONS of opportunities to bet on it. If you get signed up now, you’ll have a week or so to get used to things before the Tournament.

  A new poll reveals that 55%  of people are the most excited to place wagers for the upcoming NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. If you plan to place your own bets for March Madness, it would behoove you to pay attention to Selection Sunday on March 17 so you can form your bracket.

• Stick To What You Know

  When participating in online sports betting, it’s suggested that you stick to the sports that you’re most familiar and comfortable with. For instance, if you’re a big football fan you would be better off placing wagers for NFL or college football games. The more well-versed you are with a sport, the more likely it is that you will make smart, well-educated wagers.

  Sports betting can be dangerous. And if you’re going to do so, you should do it responsibly. So it helps to focus on things you feel extremely comfortable with your knowledge on.

• Betting On Players Versus Betting On Teams

  Most every online sportsbook will allow you to place wagers on individual players for any given game rather than betting on the whole team. If you think a football team will lose an upcoming game but also believe that team’s running back will rush for 40 yards, you can bet on them doing just that.

  This strategy could prove especially fruitful come NFL season in North Carolina. Betting on the Panthers as a whole may be risky, but Thielen could be a safe bet for receiving yards.

  This is sometimes more entertaining, as it basically gives you a financial stake on a player you might otherwise not care about. It’s also the spot that gives security experts the most concern, as it’s far easier for an individual to alter their own stats than it is the full team they play on.

• Bet Logically, Not Emotionally

  While you’re more than welcome to bet on your favorite teams, do remember that you’ll have money riding on each game you place online bets for. It’s encouraged that you bet with your head more than your heart in most cases. If the Carolina Hurricanes don’t look too promising, you might not want to weather that particular storm.

• Problem Gambling Helpline

  Resources are available in North Carolina for those experiencing problem gambling. If you or someone you know needs help, call the North Carolina Problem Gambling Program helpline at 877-718-5543.

  Please visit morethanagame.nc.gov for additional resources.

   

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