Best North Carolina Sports Betting Sites

North Carolina Sports Betting Overview

North Carolina officially legalized online sports betting when Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill named HB 154 in 2023. You can place bets at an online sportsbook, or you can visit a brick-and-mortar sportsbook at a tribal casino. State law now permits in-person sports betting at pro sports venues too, but in-person sportsbooks have not yet been built at stadiums, NASCAR tracks and PGA Tour host courses in North Carolina.

Many bettors in North Carolina prefer to use offshore sportsbooks. They are more established than state-regulated counterparts. Offshore sites also generally provide sharper odds, larger bonuses, more betting options, more customer service channels, a wider choice of banking options, and additional sections, including online casinos, poker rooms, esports hubs, and racebooks, so rivals struggle to compete.

How Old Do I Have to be to Wager on Sports in North Carolina? 

You need to be 21 or older to wager on sports in North Carolina. That applies to brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and online sportsbooks.

Best Sportsbooks Available in North Carolina

We have reviewed every online sportsbook operating in North Carolina. The next section breaks down our review process. After consider the strengths and weaknesses of each site offering sports gambling in North Carolina, we decided that these are the top five NC online sportsbooks right now:

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Best Sportsbook Overall

Bovada

100% up to $1,000 Welcome Bonus

Visit Site Read Review

Casino Games: Slots, Video poker, Blackjack +5 more Craps, Baccarat, Roulette, Keno, Live dealer.

Live Dealer: No

Payment Options: Visa, MasterCard, Bitcoins +6 more Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Secure Voucher, Bank Transfer, Check.

Bovada is our top choice for hoops fans in North Carolina. It offers outstanding coverage of NBA, WNBA, and college basketball games. You can also bet on international basketball leagues from around the world, from the Czech Republic and Estonia to Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. It never charges more than the standard juice on its NBA and NCAAB lines, and the moneylines are always attractive.

This sportsbook also offers a larger variety of basketball betting options than its competitors. You can browse more than 200 standard markets on a typical NBA game, but you can also compile parlays and alternate lines to broaden your options. If you can’t find a market you want to bet on, just message the team on Twitter using #YourOdds and they will quickly provide you with basketball betting odds on it. Bovada also offers same day withdrawals, great customer service, and strong bonuses.

• Multiple welcome bonuses to choose from, including sports, casino, and poker
• More than 300 slot machines from Rival Gaming
• Extensive sportsbook with props builder and live betting
• No fees for withdrawals

• Dedicated racebook for horse race betting on worldwide races
• Bitcoin Exclusive membership, regularly offering you more promotions such as 50% reload bonuses
• Lacks multiple bitcoin withdrawal options

Best Sportsbook Betting on Football in North Carolina

Bovada

100% up to $1,000 Welcome Bonus

Visit Site Read Review

Casino Games: Slots, Video poker, Blackjack +5 more Craps, Baccarat, Roulette, Keno, Live dealer.

Live Dealer: No

Payment Options: Visa, MasterCard, Bitcoins +6 more Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Secure Voucher, Bank Transfer, Check.

Bovada is our top choice for hoops fans in North Carolina. It offers outstanding coverage of NBA, WNBA, and college basketball games. You can also bet on international basketball leagues from around the world, from the Czech Republic and Estonia to Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. It never charges more than the standard juice on its NBA and NCAAB lines, and the moneylines are always attractive.

This sportsbook also offers a larger variety of basketball betting options than its competitors. You can browse more than 200 standard markets on a typical NBA game, but you can also compile parlays and alternate lines to broaden your options. If you can’t find a market you want to bet on, just message the team on Twitter using #YourOdds and they will quickly provide you with basketball betting odds on it. Bovada also offers same day withdrawals, great customer service, and strong bonuses.

• Multiple welcome bonuses to choose from, including sports, casino, and poker
• More than 300 slot machines from Rival Gaming
• Extensive sportsbook with props builder and live betting
• No fees for withdrawals

• Dedicated racebook for horse race betting on worldwide races
• Bitcoin Exclusive membership, regularly offering you more promotions such as 50% reload bonuses
• Lacks multiple bitcoin withdrawal options

Best Racebook for North Carolinians

MyBookie

100% up to $1,000 Welcome Bonus

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Casino Games: Slots, Video poker, Blackjack +4 more Baccarat, Roulette, Keno, Scratch tickets.

Live Dealer: No

Payment Options: Visa, MasterCard, Bitcoins +10 more Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Tether, Cardano, Dogecoin, MoneyGram, Person2Person Transfers, eCheck, Bank Transfer.

If you want to bet on hundreds of horse races each day, look no further than MyBookie. This popular betting site offers a full-service racebook, covering meetings from across North America and around the world each day. All the main pari-mutuel betting options are available, including the win, place show, exacta, trifecta, quinella, and daily double.

It offers an automatic rebate of up to 8% on any potentially horse racing losses, with no rollover requirements. You will also be offered fixed-odds futures on some big races, such as the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, Belmont, and the Breeders’ Cup races. These odds are often market beating, so MyBookie is a great option for horseplayers. It also offers a beginner-friendly sportsbook.

• Casino and sports betting site offering the best of both worlds
• Sports betting bonus of 100% up to $1,000
• Wide range of cryptocurrency banking options including Bitcoin
• 130+ slots from BetSoft, Nucleus Gaming, BGaming, and more
• Impressive selection of table games including craps and rummy

• High turnover requirements on casino bonuses
• No live dealer poker games, just an online poker room

Best Sportsbook for Betting on Basketball

Bovada

100% up to $1,000 Welcome Bonus

Visit Site Read Review

Casino Games: Slots, Video poker, Blackjack +5 more Craps, Baccarat, Roulette, Keno, Live dealer.

Live Dealer: No

Payment Options: Visa, MasterCard, Bitcoins +6 more Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Secure Voucher, Bank Transfer, Check.

Bovada is our top choice for hoops fans in North Carolina. It offers outstanding coverage of NBA, WNBA, and college basketball games. You can also bet on international basketball leagues from around the world, from the Czech Republic and Estonia to Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. It never charges more than the standard juice on its NBA and NCAAB lines, and the moneylines are always attractive.

This sportsbook also offers a larger variety of basketball betting options than its competitors. You can browse more than 200 standard markets on a typical NBA game, but you can also compile parlays and alternate lines to broaden your options. If you can’t find a market you want to bet on, just message the team on Twitter using #YourOdds and they will quickly provide you with basketball betting odds on it. Bovada also offers same day withdrawals, great customer service, and strong bonuses.

• Multiple welcome bonuses to choose from, including sports, casino, and poker
• More than 300 slot machines from Rival Gaming
• Extensive sportsbook with props builder and live betting
• No fees for withdrawals

• Dedicated racebook for horse race betting on worldwide races
• Bitcoin Exclusive membership, regularly offering you more promotions such as 50% reload bonuses
• Lacks multiple bitcoin withdrawal options

Best Sports Betting Site for Beginners

BetUS

125% up to $2,625 Welcome Bonus

Visit Site Read Review

Casino Games: Blackjack, Slots, Video poker +2 more Roulette, Baccarat.

Live Dealer: Yes

Payment Options: Visa, MasterCard, American Express +7 more American Express, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Bank Transfer, Bankwire, Check.

BetUS is the best NC sports betting site for beginners. The sign-up process is quick and easy, and you can then fund your account instantly. There are loads of deposit options, including Visa and Mastercard credit or debit cards, bank transfers and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. It offers the largest welcome bonus in North Carolina too.

The BetUS site is very easy-to-use, so you should have no trouble making your first wagers. If you need help, this online sportsbook offers the best customer service of all the sites we tested out. You can call, use live chat or send an email 24/7, and a member of staff will reply promptly. The care and attention they provide is second-to-none, so we highly recommend this site for beginners to online sports gambling in North Carolina.

• Several different welcome bonus options including a 200% crypto bonus
• 300+ casino games, including slots and live-dealer
• Sports Betting options include: pro football, college football, live betting and more
• Same-day payouts up to $5000

• Limited time (14 days) to clear bonus playthrough requirements
• Money you wager on casino games does not count towards the loyalty program
• BetUS is not available in Washington state

North Carolina Betting Sites: A Comparison

How We Evaluate Sports Betting Sites in North Carolina

We focus on four important areas when evaluating sports betting sites in North Carolina. The best NC online sportsbooks score highly in all of these areas, as well as our other ranking criteria. 

Availability in North Carolina

Our experts will only consider sportsbooks that are available in North Carolina. You can access BetOnline, SportsBetting.ag, MyBookie, Bovada, or BetUS via your desktop, laptop, iOS device or Android device, from anywhere in the Tar Heel State, and there is no need to use a VPN.

You do not need to use GeoComply or location services either when using those online sportsbooks in North Carolina. By contrast, locally regulated online sportsbooks require you to use geolocation software to prove that you are in the state. That can cause problems, as the location services often falter, causing the apps and websites to crash or freeze, so offshore sites tend to be more reliable.

Player Protection

Our experts focus on the encryption and firewalls used to protect players’ data. TLS encryption and verification by third-party testing services are always appreciated. The evaluation process also focuses on the general reputation and trustworthiness of each online sportsbook. We will only consider recommending sites that have been grading bets correctly and paying out on time for years.

Sports Betting Promotions and Contests

We consider the size of each offer and the frequency of the bonuses. Offshore sportsbooks tend to offer significantly larger sign-up bonuses than state-regulated rivals, and they offer more recurring promos, too. They do impose higher rollover requirements than the local apps, but we focus on sites that provide realistic requirements. We also assess the loyalty programs, prize draws and sports betting contests, including pick’em contests and survivor pools, to gauge the value on offer at each site.

Competitive Odds and Lines

We assess the house edge (juice or vigorish) taken on the lines at each NC online sports betting site. Our experts also delve into the quality of the futures odds and the cumulative parlay odds. We consider the range of betting options too, plus the general layout, the accessibility of the software and customer service on offer.

Is Sports Betting Legal in North Carolina?

Sports betting is legal in North Carolina. The Tar Heel State legalized in-person sports wagering at tribal casinos when Gov. Roy Cooper signed SB 154 in 2019. The first sports betting lounges at tribal casinos opened for business in 2021.

Gov. Cooper then signed a separate bill in 2023. It legalized online sports betting, plus in-person sports betting at professional sports stadiums, PGA Tour host venues, and NASCAR tracks in North Carolina.

Online Sports Betting in North Carolina

Bettors in North Carolina have been able to place wagers at trustworthy offshore sportsbooks since the mid-1990s. Sites like BetOnline, Bovada, and BetUS are based overseas, but they are geared towards American bettors. All odds are displayed in the American format, and all sums are quoted in USD.

In 2024, the first state-regulated online sportsbooks were permitted to launch, providing offshore sites with competition. However, offshore sports betting sites are expected to remain popular in North Carolina for several reasons. Sites like BetOnline and BetUS offer larger bonuses than regulated rivals. They also tend to offer sharper odds. For example, BetOnline offers reduced juice NHL odds, which you won’t find at state-sanctioned apps.

It is cheaper to run an online sportsbook overseas, as labor and energy costs are lower, and the best betting sites pass on those savings to customers in the form of larger promos and a lower house edge on their lines. Sites like BetOnline and Bovada also offer North Carolina online casinos and North Carolina online poker rooms, which are not permitted at a local level in the Tar Heel State. Many bettors like to conduct all their wagering in one place, so offshore gambling sites should remain prevalent.

Land-Based Sportsbooks in North Carolina

There are only three land-based sports betting options in North Carolina right now. That will change in the future, as sportsbooks will be built at pro sports venues, but the only brick-and-mortar sportsbooks are currently at tribal casinos.

Horse Racing in North Carolina

North Carolina does not currently have any regulated online racebooks. A law passed in 2023 permits pari-mutuel wagering in the state, but there are not yet any sites offering betting on horse races. You will need to use offshore betting sites to wager on horse races in the Tar Heel State until that situation changes.

BetOnline, SportsBetting.ag, MyBookie, Bovada, and BetUS all accept bets on horse racing from across the United States and around the world. You can place pari-mutuel bets, such as the win, place, show, exacta, trifecta and quinella. They also accept fixed-odds futures on major races, such as the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Kentucky Derby.

Daily Fantasy Sports in North Carolina

North Carolina currently permits Daily Fantasy Sports apps to operate in the state. Draft regulations put forward in 2023 would have significantly limited the range of fantasy sports contests that could be held online in NC. However, regulators decided to remove all language concerning fantasy sports from the draft legislation and focus solely on regular sports betting.

The NC Lottery said it may revisit fantasy sports in future to evaluate the commission’s “duties and responsibilities,” but DFS apps are still allowed to accept North Carolinians. DraftKings and FanDuel are the main providers.

Who Regulates Sports Betting in North Carolina?

The North Carolina State Lottery Commission has been handed oversight of the regulated online sports betting market. It is tasked with issuing licenses and ensuring that online sportsbooks adhere to their licensing conditions.

Offshore sportsbooks are regulated in their jurisdictions. For example, the government of Curaçao regulates Bovada. The offshore sites hold remote online gaming licenses, which allow them to accept customers from various countries and states, including North Carolina.

North Carolina’s Sports Betting Laws Compared to Neighboring States

North Carolina now has similar sports betting laws to Virginia. Old Dominion introduced a regulated sports betting industry in 2021. It permits online sportsbooks and land-based sportsbooks. However, the regulated sites cannot take bets on college sports. Anyone that wants to place wagers on teams like Virginia Tech, Richmond, and the University of Virginia must use an offshore sports betting site, such as BetOnline.

Tennessee has a regulated market for online sportsbooks. They are permitted to take bets on professional and college sports. However, there are no land-based sportsbooks in the Volunteer State. Regulated TN sports betting sites are also required by law to earn a large margin. If they fail to do so, they are fined, so they are likely to offer weak odds.

Georgia and South Carolina do not permit any forms of sports betting. Bettors in those states must use online sportsbooks based overseas to wager on their favorite teams. BetOnline, SportsBetting.ag, MyBookie, Bovada, and BetUS accept customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia.

North Carolina Sports Betting Timeline

The Future of Online Sports Betting in North Carolina

Online sports betting is likely to expand rapidly in the years ahead. The Tar Heel State has legalized professional and college sports betting, so North Carolinians have a lot of options to consider.

State law requires regulated online sportsbooks to operate on the master licenses of professional sports teams or venues. For example, Bet365 teamed up with the Charlotte Hornets, BetMGM partnered with Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Fanatics joined up with the Carolina Hurricanes.

That limits the number of sports betting sites in North Carolina. The law could change in the future to allow sports teams and venues to host multiple sportsbooks on their master licenses. However, we are unlikely to see any laws passed that would allow online casinos or poker rooms at a local level, so offshore gambling sites should remain popular in North Carolina.

Popular North Carolina Sports Teams to Wager On

North Carolina is home to four major pro sports teams and a wide range of popular college sports teams. The Tar Heel State also hosts a long list of NASCAR teams, along with two prominent PGA Tour venues. These are the most popular North Carolina sports teams to wager on:

Our Expert Pick for North Carolina Bettors

BetOnline is offering +425 on North Carolina to make the Final Four at the NCAA Tournament this year. The Tar Heels have reached the Final Four a record 21 times, including in 2016, 2017, and 2022, when UNC finished the season as the national runner-up. They suffered an early exit at March Madness last year, but they look a lot stronger this time around.

UNC has been vastly superior to its rivals in the ACC this season. The conference is not as competitive as we would usually expect, as the likes of Miami, Clemson, and Wake Forest have struggled, but the Tar Heels deserve credit for capitalizing upon its rivals’ weaknesses. It has arguably the best defense in the country this season, so it could go deep into the NCAA Tournament.

You can take +1400 at BetOnline on North Carolina winning March Madness, but a bet on UNC reaching the Final Four looks more appealing right now. It is all but certain to win the ACC, which should result in a favorable bracket position, and it has the quality to reach the national semifinal.

Responsible Gambling in North Carolina

The advent of legal online sports betting will make it easier to gamble in North Carolina. It is important to bet on sports in a responsible manner. Only place sports wagers with money you can afford to lose if your picks are incorrect, and do not treat gambling as a guaranteed source of income.

Take regular breaks and do not allow gambling to affect your work or your relationships with family and friends. If you are concerned about your gambling, these local and national support organizations can help:

• NC Problem Gambling Program
• Gamblers Anonymous
• GamTalk
• National Council on Problem Gambling
• SAMHSA National Helpline

North Carolina Gambling Legal Sources

• North Carolina House Bill 347
• North Carolina Senate Bill 154
• North Carolina State Lottery Commission

Summary

North Carolina is one of the more progressive states when it comes to gambling, and officials recently passed a bill that would develop an online sports betting scene in time for March Madness in 2024. Sports bettors in the state have been able to wager at in-person venues for a while, but the promise of regulated online sportsbooks is exciting. 

In the meantime, NC residents can place wagers on all their favorite teams using offshore sportsbooks such as BetOnline or MyBookie. These sites often have better odds and bigger promotions than state-sanctioned competitors.