North Carolina Sports Betting: Best NC Sportsbooks & Promos

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Best North Carolina sportsbooks in September 2026

The best North Carolina sportsbooks and links to create an account are below. You must be 21 or older to bet in North Carolina.

1

T&Cs Apply. View Here.

GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA) Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). 21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/NH/PR/WY). Void in CAN. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino (KS). Pass-thru of per wager tax may apply in IL. 1 per new DraftKings customer. $5+ first-time bet req. Max. $200 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Bets. Stake removed from payout. Reward issued as $50 in Bonus Bets every 7 days via click-to-claim for 21 days. Bonus Bets and click-to-claims expire 7 days (168hrs) after issuance. Terms: sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. Ends 9/20/26 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK.

Spend $5+ Get $200 in Bonus Bets

New User Bonus

Top Features

• Spend $5+ Get $200 in Bonus Bets Over 21 Days

• Plus Get up to $1,000 Deposit Bonus

• Bet on All Your Favorite Sports With America's Top-Rated Sportsbook

DraftKings Sportsbook Review

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2

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21+ and present in OH. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Get $350

In Bonus Bets

Top Features

• Get $350 in Bonus Bets When You Wager $5 for 7 Days ($50 Bonus Bets Per Day)

• Available on Desktop, Android & iOS

• Easy Deposits, Fast Withdrawals

FanDuel Sportsbook Review

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3

Up to $1,550

In Bonuses

Top Features

• Exclusive $50 BetMGM Rewards Points Bonus + Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if Your First Bet Doesn’t Win*

• *Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l terms. 21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET

BetMGM Sportsbook Review

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4

T&Cs Apply. View Here.

OH only. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. T&Cs apply. New customers in AZ, CO, CT, DC, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WV, or WY. Apply promotion in bet slip and place a $1+ cash wager (min odds -200) daily for 10 consecutive days starting day of account creation. FanCash rewards will equal the qualifying wager amount (max $100 FanCash/day). FanCash issued under this promotion expires at 11:59 p.m. ET 7 days from issuance. Terms, incl. FanCash terms, apply—see Fanatics Sportsbook app.

Get Up to $1,000

Matched in FanCash

Top Features

• Get a 100% Bet Match up to $100 in FanCash for 10 Days

• Earn FanCash & Spend it on Team Swag or More Bets

• Daily Odds & Profit Boosts on Select Games

Fanatics Sportsbook Review

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5

Bet $10, Get $365

In Bonus Bets Win or Lose

Top Features

• Bet $10 Get $365 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose

• 30% Extra on Same Game Parlay Profit

• T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET (AZ, CO, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MO, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV) or 1-800-BETS OFF (IA). 21+ only. Please gamble responsibly. Must be present in AZ/CO/IA/IL/IN/KS/KY/LA(select parishes) /MD/MI/MO/NC/NJ/OH/PA/TN/VA/WV.

Bet365 Sportsbook Review

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Top NC betting apps & sites reviewed

There are currently seven online sportsbooks available to NC bettors, and picking one can be tricky. Choosing the best for you may come down to personal preference, the best sportsbook promos, and many other factors.

Below, we compare some of the top NC sportsbooks and the North Carolina sports betting promos for new users. Here are quick reviews of our top recommended NC sports betting sites.

List of all NC online sportsbooks

NC sports betting rules allow for up to 11 online sportsbooks in the state, one for each professional sports organization located in NC. Tribes in the state are not subject to the 11-limit and can enter the online market separately. Below is a list of North Carolina sports betting apps and their status in the state:

Underdog Sportsbook was also among the first group of sites to launch in NC, but shut down its traditional sports wagering operations in December 2025. Underdog remains available for DFS and prediction market trading in the state. It was also in Dec. 2025 that ESPN Bet Sportsbook rebranded as theScore Bet in NC and elsewhere.

The biggest name missing from this list is BetRivers Sportsbook, which operates in several states on the East Coast but has limited expansion in recent years.

Land-based North Carolina sportsbooks

Additionally, three in-person sportsbooks are available for North Carolina bettors. Two sportsbooks are operated by Caesars and owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The Catawba Nation owns and operates the third.

Is sports betting legal in NC?

Yes. Sports betting in North Carolina is legal online and at the three retail locations listed above. Online sports betting sites launched statewide in March 2024, just in time for the NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina sports betting snapshot

LSR industry expert Eric Ramsey believes NC sports betting could exceed expectations. Below, we outline some key NC sports betting information in a snapshot of the industry.

North Carolina sports betting timeline

2026: Gov. Josh Stein signs the state budget on July 8, settling North Carolina’s sports betting tax at 23% rather than the 36% originally proposed, and adding a new 6% tax on prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, effective Jan. 1, 2027. In June, the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup title drives NC sportsbooks to nearly $590 million in monthly wagers, a 36.1% jump from a year earlier, though heavy payouts and promotional spending cut into operator revenue.

2025: The Senate approves a two-year budget proposal in April that would double the sports betting tax from 18% to 36%, kicking off a prolonged fight over the final rate. PENN Entertainment rebrands ESPN Bet to theScore Bet nationwide in December, a change that also takes hold in North Carolina.

2024: Legal online sports betting launches March 11, one week before March Madness, after the Lottery Commission announces the date in January. NC bettors wager $11.6 million during the first 12 hours, and Geocomply logs nearly 5.4 million location checks and close to 370,000 active accounts within two days. Rep. Marcia Morey introduces a bill that would ban prop betting on college players.

2023: HB 347 passes the General Assembly after a long back-and-forth between the House and Senate, and Gov. Roy Cooper signs it into law on June 14. Seven operators, bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, ESPN Bet, Fanatics, FanDuel, and Underdog Sports, apply for licenses and begin lining up team partnerships ahead of launch.

2022: SB 688, which would allow 10 to 12 online sportsbooks, passes the Senate but stalls in the House and fails to become law. The Catawba Two Kings Casino opens a retail sportsbook in September near the South Carolina border.

2021: Retail sports betting begins at two tribal casinos in the state, and a Senate bill to legalize online betting carries over into the 2022 session.

2019: SB 154 passes the General Assembly relatively easily, with the Senate voting 43-7 and the House 90-27, legalizing retail sports betting at the state’s tribal casinos.

What’s happening in North Carolina sports betting right now

• July 8, 2026 — Gov. Josh Stein signs a $34 billion state budget that raises North Carolina’s sports betting tax from 18% to 23%, the first increase since legalization in 2024. An earlier Senate proposal had sought to double the rate to 36%.
• July 8, 2026 — The same budget adds a new 6% tax on prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, set to take effect Jan. 1, 2027, marking the state’s first attempt to regulate the prediction market/sports betting overlap.
• June 2026 — The Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup win pushes North Carolina sportsbooks to nearly $590 million in wagers for the month, a 36.1% increase over June 2025, though revenue actually dipped due to heavy payouts and promotional spending.

North Carolina sports betting fact sheet

• Online sports betting launched in North Carolina in March 2024.
• Eleven professional sports organizations and venues in the state can partner with online sportsbooks to fulfill their licensing requirements. 
• The legal betting age in North Carolina is 21.
• Online casino gambling is not legal in the state. 
• NC sports bettors can legally wager on in-state college teams. (Read more state-by-state college betting regulations.)
• The tax rate on sports betting in the state is 23%.
• You do not have to be a resident of North Carolina to bet in the state, but you must be located within the state lines at the time of the wager.
• DFS contests are available in North Carolina.
• Bettors cannot wager on political events or awards shows like the Emmys or Oscars.
• North Carolina online sportsbooks could take $7 billion in bets by the second year of legal sports betting, according to LSR projections. That could generate at least $600 million in sports betting revenue for the state. 

North Carolina sports betting law

Rep. Jason Saine filed sports betting bill HB 347 in the North Carolina General Assembly on March 13, 2023, and Gov. Roy Cooper signed it into law on June 14 after it bounced back and forth between the Senate and House to receive approval for changes. Here are some of the main features of the new-look North Carolina sports betting industry (previously, betting was only legal at tribal casinos in the state):

• The initial bill authorized up to 12 online sportsbooks and 8 in-person sportsbooks at professional sports venues in the state. However, those rules were revised in the fall of 2023 and now require each book to have a written agreement with a professional sports organization, a sports venue, or a tribe in the state. Eleven sports organizations and venues qualify to offer a written agreement:
  • Charlotte Hornets (NBA)
  • Quail Hollow Club
  • PGA Tour
  • Charlotte Motor Speedway
  • Charlotte FC (MLS)
  • NASCAR
  • NC Courage (NWSL)
  • Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)
  • Carolina Panthers (NFL)
  • North Wilkesboro Speedway
  • Sedgefield Country Club
• Each license carries a $1 million fee for five years and an 23% tax.
• Lawmakers in the Senate also decided to prohibit operators from deducting promotional credits from sports betting revenue.
• Bettors in North Carolina must be 21 or older.
• Bettors can bet on in-state college teams with no stipulations on individual prop bets.
• The law stipulated that the state launch online wagering before June 8, 2024, which it did.

What you can bet on in North Carolina

North Carolina is not an overly restrictive state regarding sports betting. According to HB 347, bettors can wager on professional, college, and amateur sports, as well as horse races, though online horse racing betting has not launched in the state. Betting offerings include in-state college teams such as the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils. Esports is also on the menu.  

The North Carolina betting catalog also includes many other professional sports that are less popular in North America, such as darts, lacrosse, sailing, Australian rules football, cricket, and softball. 

NC sports betting restrictions

North Carolina bettors should be able to wager on pretty much any pro sports league across the globe, but they cannot bet on high school sports. The state also prohibits betting on politics and awards shows like the Oscars.

Types of North Carolina online sportsbook bonuses and promos

When choosing a North Carolina sports betting app, it can be helpful to know what types of bonuses and promotions are available and how they work. Below are a few popular terms and what each one means. 

• Deposit bonus: The sportsbook matches your deposit up to a certain amount in site credits. This usually applies to your first deposit. You can then use those site credits to place wagers. You cannot withdraw the credits as cash until you satisfy a playthrough requirement. These requirements differ from book to book. 
• First bet offer: After you have placed your first bet at a new sportsbook, you will receive a site credit (up to a certain amount) if your bet doesn’t win. If the bet wins, you collect your winnings as normal. 
• Odds boost: Odds boosts inflate a line in the bettor’s favor to create a more attractive bet. Some sportsbooks will pick a few new bets every day to boost. 
• Loyalty program: These programs allow users to earn bonus funds or credits that they can redeem for items such as bonus bets, retail purchases, gift cards, merchandise, or other perks.

Other legal betting options in North Carolina

There are plenty of legal sports betting options in North Carolina, whether you want to wager in person or on your mobile device. However, you may also encounter other sports betting sites that may be operating illegally in the state. 

Offshore sites like BetOnline, BetUS, and MyBookie are not licensed in the United States and operate outside of US and state laws. These sites carry a variety of legal and logistical concerns that make using them dangerous for your money. For instance, if any of these sportsbooks were to decide not to pay out your winnings, you would have no legal recourse.

Here, we highlight legal, regulated sports betting apps, such as those reviewed above. There are also other legal gambling options available in North Carolina.

North Carolina and daily fantasy sports

Daily fantasy sports competitions are legal in North Carolina. Regulators attempted to ban DFS pick’em contests in the state as part of their sports betting legislation, but backlash from stakeholders caused them to kick the issue down the road and remove the ban. 

That means, for now, contests from DFS providers like PrizePicks, Underdog, DraftKings, and FanDuel are available in North Carolina. However, Underdog stopped offering its DFS pick’em product in North Carolina in February 2024, during the lead-up to legal sports betting.

Competitors could follow suit down the road, and products like a Sleeper Sportsbook could become a reality in NC.

Horse betting in North Carolina

Pari-mutuel horse betting is legal in North Carolina. However, there are no casinos or operators offering horse betting at the moment.

North Carolina casinos

North Carolina’s three casinos offer a standard selection of casino games in addition to their sportsbooks. Electronic and live poker games, blackjack, roulette, craps, and slots are all available at both Harrah’s casinos, while the temporary Catawba Two Kings Casino has electronic table games and slots. 

Social and sweepstakes casinos are also available in North Carolina. These sites are similar to standard online casinos but do not allow users to play with real money. Instead, these sweepstakes or social casino sites use virtual currencies or tokens to play games, such as online slots and table games. In some cases, winnings are eligible to redeem for cash prizes.

In 2023, NC Senate President Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore attempted to expand casino gambling in the state by introducing a bill that would have authorized three casinos in Anson, Nash, and Rockingham counties. The Lumbee Tribe would have operated a fourth casino. The bill was ultimately opposed by many on both sides of the aisle.

North Carolina lottery 

The NC Education Lottery has several games available to residents both online and at retail locations. Powerball, Mega Millions, Lucky for Life, keno, and scratchers are just a few of the available options.

Popular sports to bet on with North Carolina sports betting apps

North Carolina is home to some popular sports teams, both professional and college.

As the NFL is typically the most popular league at sportsbooks, Carolina Panthers odds will likely be among the most popular betting options in the state. The Panthers play in Charlotte and have made it to the Super Bowl a couple of times in their history.

The NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets are local favorites. The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006, while the Hornets continue to struggle for success.

But the Hornets are not the most popular basketball team in the state, as college basketball is king in North Carolina. The University of North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference and have passionate fanbases that have experienced plenty of March Madness success, including several titles. 

North Carolina won the men’s DI championship in 2017, 2009, 2005, 1993, 1982, and 1957. Duke won in 2015, 2010, 2001, 1992, and 1991.

Aside from those two popular college teams, North Carolina is home to two other ACC teams, the NC State Wolfpack and Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

People in North Carolina can bet on those teams and on any other Division I college teams, both in-state and out-of-state.

How to bet on sports in North Carolina

Once you select which NC sportsbook you want to try, getting started is straightforward. The steps will be similar no matter which app you choose, and it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes. Here’s what to do:

1. Download and install the app on your mobile device.
2. Register for an account using a promo code if needed.
3. Deposit into your account.
4. Place your first wager.

North Carolina responsible gambling

There are many resources in place for North Carolina bettors who suffer from problem gambling. The North Carolina State Lottery Commission website provides services related to education, prevention, treatment, and recovery from problem gambling.

Visit the commission’s website or call 877-718-5543, 24 hours a day.

North Carolina sports betting FAQ