Legal North Carolina sports betting apps will launch on March 11 at noon, the North Carolina Lottery Commission announced Wednesday morning. Customers can register for betting accounts, make deposits into their accounts, and take advantage of North Carolina betting promos beginning on March 1. 

North Carolina’s sports betting launch will occur before March Madness, which begins on March 19. The launch also comes one day prior to the start of the ACC men’s basketball conference tournament on March 12, which features four North Carolina teams. Both Duke University and the University of North Carolina’s men’s basketball teams are considered ACC and national title contenders, according to various sports betting odds. 

When mobile sports wagering launches in North Carolina on March 11, it’s expected that at least eight operators will go live. Those eight sportsbooks and their official in-state partners are:

Each of the operators has a national sports betting presence, aside from Underdog Sports. The well-respected DFS operator’s North Carolina entrance will mark the debut of its mobile sportsbook.

While not a surprise, the lottery’s Wednesday announcement confirms that legal sports betting apps won’t be live in the Tar Heel State prior to the Super Bowl, which will take place in Las Vegas on Feb. 11. The AFC and NFC Championship games take place this Sunday, with the Chiefs visiting the Ravens and the 49ers hosting the Lions. 

San Francisco is the current Super Bowl betting favorite, with odds of +135 at FanDuel to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. 

North Carolina’s Lottery Commission still has plenty of work ahead over the next month, which is why a pre-Super Bowl launch isn’t feasible. The lottery still needs to officially approve sports wagering license applicants, in addition to checking their internal controls and issuing certificates of compliance. 

The lottery’s sports betting committee will meet early next week to continue its regulatory work, and the full lottery commission meets again in early February.