Legal North Carolina sports betting will arrive in the first half of 2024. While the calendar will soon turn, some questions remain about the Tar Heel State’s mobile wagering market. 

Most notably, when will North Carolina sports betting apps be allowed to go live? There’s no official launch date for them, but mobile operators hoping to be in the first wave of the launch are supposed to have their applications submitted by Dec. 27. 

Lottery officials have said mobile wagering won’t be up and running by the Super Bowl on Feb. 11, but legislation requires that sports betting operators be able to launch by mid-June. Thus, North Carolina’s mobile market will go live sometime between mid-February and mid-June.

North Carolina’s legislation requires sportsbook operators to partner with professional sports franchises or venues in order to provide their sports betting sites. A few partnerships between operators and franchises or venues have been announced, including bet365 North Carolina’s deal with the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets. 

“We are excited to announce this partnership with bet365,” Hornets Sports and Entertainment Chief Revenue Officer Jacob Gallagher said in a release. “Since the day Governor Cooper signed sports wagering into law at Spectrum Center in June, we sought a partner that would help us provide our fans with new, additional opportunities to engage with their favorite sports teams. We are confident that bet365 is a great fit with our organization and can help us do that.”

ESPN BET is partnering with Quail Hollow Club, a PGA Tour venue, to bring its new sportsbook to North Carolina. ESPN BET officially launched in more than 10 states last month. 

Fanatics Sportsbook North Carolina is partnering with the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, it was announced last week. FanDuel North Carolina is using an existing partnership with the PGA Tour to gain mobile wagering access into the Tar Heel State.

Those four major operators are all expected to be major players in North Carolina.

Despite not yet announcing partnerships, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, and DraftKings are all expected to enter North Carolina in 2024. All three of those operators have a strong national presence. 

Other possible entrants include BetRivers, which is operational in more than a dozen states. It’s possible that Hard Rock Bet attempts to secure a license in North Carolina as it expands its national presence. Hard Rock Bet recently went live with a monopoly in Florida as the biggest of its states.

SuperBook Sports and Circa Sports are also well-respected sports betting operators that are growing their mobile presence nationwide. They’re possible entrants into North Carolina’s market, although each of those operators has taken a gradual approach to state launches. 

It’s also theoretically possible that a more local operator with North Carolina ties could attempt to enter the state’s mobile betting market. Clarity on the early entrants into the market should come later this month when operators officially submit their license applications.