Eight operators have received online sports betting licenses in North Carolina and can begin registering users ahead of the March 11 launch. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Online sports betting has not yet launched in North Carolina – that comes in a week and a half – but the engine is getting warmed up as operators have been granted licenses and player registration has begun.

On Thursday, February 29, the North Carolina State Lottery Commission (NCSLC) announced the first eight operators to be granted licenses. They are (in alphabetical order): bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, ESPN Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook, FanDuel, Underdog Sports. Caesars, which has a supplier license, will run the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ online sportsbook.

State law permits up to a dozen online sports betting licenses, and though the commissioners believe they will see more applications, it may be unlikely that every slot gets filled, as most of the major players are accounted for. The Catawba Indian Nation also applied for one of the $1m licenses, but has not gotten the green light yet.

actual betting, however, does not start until noon on Monday March 11

Customers at least 21 years of age can begin registering accounts and depositing funds starting at noon today, Friday, March 1. The actual betting, however, does not start until noon on Monday March 11, just in time for all or portions of the NCAA basketball conference tournaments and about week before the men’s and women’s national tournaments begin.

North Carolina has three retail sportsbooks at casinos: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River in the western part of the state, just north of Georgia, and Catawba Two King’s Casino west of Charlotte.