In anticipation of its sport betting market debut, the North Carolina State Lottery Commission has issued sports wagering operators licenses to eight operators.
Its latest recipient was Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise, which is an enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Other approved licensees include FanDuel Sportsbook, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatic Sportsbook, bet365, ESPN Bet and Underdog Sports Wagering.
The commission said in an online statement, “Two additional provisional supplier licenses were also issued.
“As of Feb. 29, the Commission has issued three full licenses for sports wagering supplier, 20 provisional supplier licenses and three sports wagering service provider licenses.”
Under the current regulations, the Lottery Commission is allowed to award up to 12 interactive sports wagering operator licenses statewide once the market is established. Players would then have access to online and mobile betting, as well as in-person wagering.
North Carolina is scheduled to open its regulated sports wagering market March 11 at noon.
However, players do not have to wait that long to prepare for the market’s opening. Starting today, operators around the state can allow players to register for online accounts.
The state will initially allow players to place wagers on their mobile devices and will later accept in-person betting on a case-by-case basis.
In other state news, legislators have expressed interest in video gaming machine legalization and said “an effort to sanction and regulate video gambling machines could resurface in the spring.”
This is not the first time video gambling machine regulation has been discussed in North Carolina. Last year, the state government considered a proposal that would allow for four more casinos around the state and would legalize gambling machines through North Carolina’s lottery commission.
