North Carolina online sports betting to go live on March 11

North Carolina sports betting will officially go live on March 11 after the North Carolina State Lottery Commission unanimously approved the launch date.

In a meeting held today, January 24, commissioners from the regulator gave their backing to usher in sports betting in the Tar Heel State.

The highly anticipated launch of sports betting in North Carolina will come ahead of March Madness, which had been pegged as a target by State Governor Roy Cooper.

March Madness is due to begin on March 19, in what will be an initial boon for operators looking to make headway in the market.

Customers will be able to begin registering with licensed operators from March 1, with the North Carolina State Lottery Commission still pouring over the license applications.

The likes of DraftKings, FanDuel, ESPN Bet, and bet365 have all positioned themselves to go live in the state, with DFS operator Underdog set to unveil its first sports betting product, should it secure a license.

The regulator has a 60-day window to consider the applications, which were all submitted ahead of the December 27 deadline.

Under North Carolina law, sports betting is required to go live by mid-June.

Operators will now be subject a gross revenue tax rate of 18% as dictated in House Bill 347, which was signed into law by Cooper last June after passing by 37 votes to 11.