North Carolina Sports Betting Apps Won’t Launch on Jan. 8

• The North Carolina Lottery Commission said they won’t launch online sports betting at the earliest possible date on Jan. 8.
• Mobile sports betting must launch in North Carolina no later than June 15, 2024.
• The NC Lottery Commission introduced its sports betting catalogue on Tuesday.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – North Carolina online sports betting won’t launch at its earliest date of Jan. 8. The potential launch was a longshot but recent comments from the North Carolina Lottery Commission make it official.

Why Is January 8 The Earliest Possible Launch Date?

Back when legal sports betting was approved in June, the bill created a launch window with Jan. 8, 2024 as the earliest betting app launch date. North Carolina sports betting must launch before June 15, 2024, as the sports betting bill claimed it will launch “no later than 12 months after the act becomes law.”

The potential early launch won’t happen because there’s simply too much work to do. Before legal North Carolina sports betting launches an online indsutry, the lottery commission must approve all of the sports betting rules and operators, finalize the sports betting catalogue, and test the servers.

Commission Chair Ripley Rand broke the news that a Jan. 8 launch “probably won’t be the date that betting is authorized, considering everything we still have to do,” he said in Tuesday’s meeting. Another member stated that weekly meetings would have to change to daily in order to be ready for a Jan. 8 launch.

esports Left Off Initial Sports Betting Catalogue

A positive note from Tuesday’s meeting is the introduction of the North Carolina sports betting catalogue. Of course North Carolina residents will be able to bet on the NFL, NBA, or other major sports leagues, but the commission also discussed more niche betting markets.

Surprisingly, esports didn’t make the cut for the initial sports betting catalogue. However, the commission explained that operators can petition for legal esports betting on future events.

The North Carolina Lottery Commission meet again at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday with “sports betting rule package” and “sports betting catalog” listed on the agenda. There is no official North Carolina sports betting launch date at this time.

News tags: eSports | North Carolina | North Carolina Lottery Commission | Ripley Rand