Legalized North Carolina online sports betting is coming soon after Gov. Roy Cooper signed HB 347 into law earlier this year. The bill officially legalized betting on professional and college sports in the Tar Heel State, with the law set to go into effect on Jan. 8, 2024. Regulators will clear North Carolina sportsbooks to launch within 12 months of that date, while in-person wagering is permitted at retail sportsbooks within 1.5 miles of any of the eight professional sports facilities in the state. Compared to other states with legal sports betting, North Carolina initially legalized retail sports betting in 2019, but it only applied to tribal casinos.
There will be a plethora of professional sports to wager on in North Carolina next year, including football, basketball, baseball, golf, hockey and soccer. There are no restrictions on games featuring in-state colleges, giving fans of those schools the chance to wager on their teams. The Tar Heel State already has in-person sports betting locations, so fans may already be familiar with common sports betting terms. If you haven't tried out one of the legal sports betting sites before in states like Kentucky and Ohio and want to be familiar with sports betting terminology, check out this helpful guide from our friends at SportsLine to some see of the most popular ways to wager.
How to bet on sports in North Carolina when legalized
There are several ways you can make sports wagers both online and in retail sportsbooks and plenty of bet types you'll want to familiarize yourself with. Here are just a few.
Outright: This user-friendly betting style requires you to simply wager on whatever side you think will win an entire sporting event. This method is particularly popular when betting on single-player sporting events such as golf tournaments and car races, both of which are in action this time of year.
Money line: Baseball rules this time of year and this is the most common way to wager on it. If Tampa Bay is listed as a -200 favorite against Houston, that means that you'd need to bet $200 on Tampa Bay to return $100 on that side to win. If Houston is the +200 underdog, you could win $200 on a $100 bet if that side wins the game.
Futures: You aren't limited to wagering on games happening right now. Futures bets let you wager on sports outcomes that will take place months from now. Football season hasn't started just yet, but you can place a futures bet now on which team you think will win their division next winter.
Even Money: If a game does not have a favorite, it has even money odds. A bettor will win exactly what they risk, such as returning $10 profit on a $10 bet.
Key Number: The key numbers are important to consider with bets on the spread and total, as they are the most common numbers that games end on. Football has the most key numbers of any sport, with games frequently featuring teams winning by three, six, seven or 10 points.
Push: If the score lands exactly on the betting number, all bets are voided and refunded. An example of this would be a 7-point favorite winning by seven points, with the original stake being returned to all bettors.
Where to find the best North Carolina sports betting advice
If you're looking for the best values on the board in North Carolina or elsewhere, be sure to check out SportsLine, which specializes in Vegas picks, DFS advice and season-long fantasy sports projections.
An industry leader, SportsLine.com provides advanced computer modeling, expert picks, news and analysis of all the biggest events in sports. It can help you identify in which games you'll have the biggest statistical advantage. Plus, you'll get access to a team of over 40 experts.
SportsLine provides betting advice across the four major professional sports, college sports, golf, tennis, soccer, combat sports, horse racing, auto racing and more. It's a proven resource to sports bettors around the world. You can sign up here to enjoy all of the sports betting and fantasy sports advice that SportsLine has to offer. Then, use your knowledge to crush North Carolina online sports betting when it's a reality.
