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North Carolina gaming regulators dashed the hopes of sports-betting optimists by confirming that the state’s mobile sports wagering program will not launch ahead of February’s Super Bowl.
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission continued to make progress towards a launch at a meeting Wednesday (November 29), approving three sports-betting application forms for operators, service providers and suppliers.
Those applications are expected to be released later this week or Monday at the latest, said Sterl Carpenter, deputy director of gaming compliance and sports betting for the lottery.
Lottery commission chairman Ripley Rand said that applicants will have a big role to play in how quickly sports betting is launched in the state.
State law requires betting to launch no later than June 2024, and so the commission is setting a December 27 deadline for applications to be submitted.
“It's important to know that the commission does not control all parts of the timetable and of the process,” Rand said. “They need to submit complete applications and supporting materials as soon as possible.”
“The gaming industry is highly regulated and like in other states, North Carolina will have high expectations and strict requirements for licensees,” he continued. “Completed applications will be lengthy and will arrive with 1,000 or more pages of supporting information.”
Following the submission of the application, the commission has 60 days to conduct background investigations, with a 30-day extension possible if items remain outstanding.
That timeline would put an early February launch, in time for the Super Bowl, out of reach.
“We know people are excited. One question that I know I have gotten a number of times and I'm sure other commissioners have gotten, is whether sports betting will be up and running in time for the Super Bowl,” Rand said.
“While the commission is committed to making sports betting available in an effective manner as quickly as we can, with all the remaining work to be done, that unfortunately won't be the case,” he said.
“We hope to be able to announce a date in the near future about when sports betting will go live in North Carolina,” Rand added. “Approving applications is a major step forward.”
The late December deadline seems set to trigger a series of partnership announcements between online sports-betting operators and North Carolina sports teams and facilities.
In accordance with the state's recently amended mobile sports-betting law, applications will also have to include completed written designation agreements between potential operators and a North Carolina-based professional sports team or venue.
To date, only bet365 has publicly announced a North Carolina market-access partnership, with the NBA's Charlotte Hornets.
The lottery commission has already adopted one set of sports-betting rules, with a second set of rules pending and potentially awaiting revisions next month.
A third package of rules to govern advanced deposit horse race wagering has yet to be released by the commission.
