North Carolina today launched legalized online sports betting in the state, with 12:00pm local time marking the official 'tip-off' time.
Fanatics, FanDuel, BetMGM, bet365, Caesars, ESPN Bet, Underdog and DraftKings will all be going live in the Tar Heel State today, with Caesars Sportsbook being the first of the eight to officially go live.
Caesars Digital President Eric Hession said: “North Carolina is filled with sports fans who’ve shown us how passionate they are about their teams.
“The expanded launch of our Caesars Sportsbook mobile app serves as an opportunity for fans to get a little closer to the sports they love, and we look forward to providing a best-in-class mobile sports wagering experience to more North Carolinians that pays homage to the sports excellence that is engrained in the state’s history.”
It will be interesting to see what sort of partnerships develop after the launch of legal online sports betting in North Carolina, having already seen Fanatics launch its sportsbook in partnership with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, and BetMGM and Charlotte Motor Speedway partnering in a market access agreement to bring BetMGM’s sports betting platform to the state.
Fanatics Sportsbook will be the Carolina Hurricanes' Official Sports Betting Partner, receiving marketing assets like in-arena signage, broadcast integrations, PNC Arena activations and many other opportunities as well.
Also intriguing will be the affiliate market for online sports betting.
Catena Media is supplying dedicated content with its national brands, led by LegalSportsreport.com and its state-focused NCSharp.com website. On top of this, the group has also published content in collaboration with media partners including Advance Local, owner of NJ.com and other news websites.
According to affiliate Catena Media, it held several top rankings for key organic search terms used by potential bettors to find relevant content and offers related to sports betting.
Within North Carolina, prior to today’s launch, the group had deals with five operators offering sports betting platform access in the state. Adding the Tar Heel State to its operational footprint means Catena Media is active in 29 states and regional markets within North America.
Catena Media VP North America, Ryan Harper, said: "We have had a solid run-up to the launch date and are pleased with our efforts so far. We also expect the March Madness NCAA college basketball tournament later this month to be a big driver of new depositing customers in North Carolina.”
