Confirmed: North Carolina Sportsbooks Will Not Launch On Jan. 8

The North Carolina Lottery Commission (NCLC) held a meeting on Tuesday to vote on the sports betting catalog. During the meeting, commissioners made it clear that North Carolina sportsbooks will not launch on Jan. 8; the earliest sportsbooks can legally launch. While many speculated that a later launch window was the plan, the commission has finally confirmed.

For now, North Carolina online sports betting still has no definitive launch date.

NC Sportsbooks To launch Later In 2024

Commissioner Cari Boyce explained that to launch North Carolina sportsbooks by Jan. 8. the committee would have to meet almost daily. There are no plans to change the meeting schedule at this time.

The Sports Betting Committee still needs to approve the final sports betting rules, approve rules for applications, approve applicants, and oversee a testing phase. With the rate that North Carolina has gone thus far, it will take months to accomplish this.

“Jan. 8 is the first date we can launch sports betting,” said Ripley Rand, committee member. “But that will not…it probably won’t be the date that betting is authorized, considering everything we still have to do.”

Sportsbooks must launch in North Carolina by June 15, 2024, at the latest. If the committee and operators are ready beforehand, sportsbooks can launch earlier. Many in the state are hopeful betting apps go live in time for March Madness betting.

Sports Betting Catalog Approved

The sports betting catalog was introduced to lawmakers during the meeting. The catalog contains the sports that operators will be allowed to offer odds on. This will need to be voted on and approved during the regulatory phase.

The presented catalog included professional and collegiate sporting events for both in-state and out-of-state programs. Additionally, the Olympics and XFL are included in the catalog. The Sports Betting Committee voted unanimously to approve it. The final step is for approval from the NCLC.

Lawmakers will discuss sports betting rules in a separate meeting being held on Nov. 16.