You might have noticed a wave of sports gambling ads flooding the airwaves and screens of North Carolinians in the past few weeks. You’re not alone – and it’s because, as of Monday, mobile sports betting is legal in North Carolina.
The state government passed a measure last summer to legalize it statewide after already allowing gambling on casinos in tribal lands, with lawmakers saying they want to capitalize on the money that’s been gambled illegally and try to earn revenues from it. Now, North Carolinians can access online sports books to place bets on events, players, and different propositions (props) as they wish.
One of the websites tracking North Carolina’s foray into widespread, legal sports betting is BetCarolina.com, part of the Gambling.com network run by a UNC alumnus. Steve Bittenbender, a legislative reporter and analyst for BetCarolina, joined 97.9 The Hill’s Brighton McConnell ahead of mobile sports gambling going live to discuss what’s expected for potential bettors, and the state.
Below is a transcript of their conversation, lightly edited for clarity. Click here to listen to their full conversation.
Brighton McConnell: So, obviously, gambling is a complicated topic, and North Carolina had a complicated path getting to legalizing mobile sports betting. But a lot of folks are excited about this and I imagine the state legislature is relatively excited too, because they’re following after other state’s models that approved this years ago and things from the outside seem to have been going well for those states. So I want to start here, Steve, since you’ve been been covering this — not just in North Carolina, but so many other states across the country since legalized sports betting has really taken off. What kind of economic shift are we about to see in North Carolina, either based on estimates or how it’s gone for other states that have legalized this?
Steve Bittenbender: You’re going to see, I think, North Carolina become one of the top sports betting states in the country within a few months. You take a look at the population of North Carolina, it’s one of the more populated states in the country. And it’s especially so when you take a look at the sports betting states — there are 38 sports betting states now. North Carolina actually has been one for a while, but that’s just been limited to brick and mortar sports books at the tribal casinos with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Catawba Nation. So, it’s really been only available in remote parts of the state — but now, obviously this will give people from Asheville to Greenville and everywhere in-between a chance to place a bet on their phone or laptop.
And you’re going to see a lot of activity, especially with the NCAA tournament coming up. A lot of Blue Devil fans, a lot of Carolina fans will be getting on to put bets on their team. You now have the [Charlotte] Hornets in pro basketball. You have the [Carolina] Panthers in football, you have the [Carolina] Hurricanes in hockey, you’ve got an MLS team and you’ve got a women’s pro soccer team as well in the [North Carolina] Courage. There are plenty of teams that have strong fan bases in the state, that will help. And you’re going to see a lot of action. The state is anticipating within the next few years to receive $70 million in tax revenue, and that’s going to go to a number of different programs. It’s going to help some of the smaller colleges across the state [and] help shore up their athletic programs. Obviously you take a look at UNC, N.C. State, Duke, and even Wake Forest… They have [enough] money, they can support themselves. But you look at some of these smaller schools like Western Carolina, UNC Greenville, those schools need some help to really compete with other schools in their conference. This will help them as well.
Steve Bittenbender, a reporter and analyst with the Gambling.com Group.
McConnell: You mentioned exists already in casinos, but we’re talking about specifically betting on your phones. How is North Carolina planning on regulating this? I do think that that’s perhaps one of the overarching questions for folks who maybe have reservations. What ways are North Carolina gonna try and keep some guardrails in on this, or what has the model been for other states?
Bittenbender: Well, with North Carolina, they are going to be regulating this through the lottery commission. That was what legislators chose to pursue, they did not look to create a new gaming commission. And, to the commission’s credit, they have worked painstakingly on getting regulations together. They brought in a gentleman by the name of Sterl Carpenter who helped launch sports betting in Massachusetts, and he’s helped get everything implemented here in North Carolina. And they’re going to have some very stringent rules for these operators to follow — they’re going to make sure that the operators abide by those.
McConnell: For folks who have been really excited about this, I imagine they kind of already know the ropes of sports betting and what to expect. What are some common mistakes that people make right off of the bat, or what are some stories that you’ve heard while covering gambling? Not necessarily bad bets, but bad habits or things that people should double-check as they’re trying to get into this scene?
Bittenbender: The big thing I think —and this is something that even took me a little bit of time to really appreciate as well — is going to be good management of your money. Let’s say you decide to make a $100 deposit into one of the sports books that comes in. Depending on the offer, you will get some bonus money that they will match or give you in addition to your deposit. There will also be some sports books that will look to offer low-risk bets, so people will have a way to build up their bank roll. But once you have that bank roll established, it’s important to realize that you’re better off only betting a small portion of that money. Let’s say you have $100 in your accounts — you probably should not go out and start betting $20 and $25 a game at that point. Because the odds are [not in your favor], you know… The best sports bettors in the world succeed at about a 55 percent rate.
So, eventually, that bank roll will whittle down. And if you’re doing $20 or $25 a wager, you can very easily hit a cold streak and go 0-3, 0-4… and your account is dried up. If you focus and look to these smaller bets — $3, $5, $10, keep it small that way — you can let your account potentially build up. It also will allow you to weather some of those cold streak that every bettor gets. So that’s going to be key for a lot of people: keep it small, keep it focused.
Also, I would recommend people look to bet on sports or events with which they have knowledge. The lottery has approved a number of different sports for these sports betting operators to offer. I would recommend sticking with the sports that you know. It’s not going to give you a guaranteed edge or advantage, but it will help you out. You know, if you’re a fan of the Hurricanes, look to bet on hockey. If you’re a fan of the Hornets, look to bet on the NBA. If you’re a fan of the Courage, you know, there will be some NWSL markets out there as well. So, look for things that you have a base knowledge of, and then grow from there.
Both college and professional sports will be available at sports books in North Carolina. Bittenbender and other gambling analysts recommend people gamble on sports they actively follow in order to play responsibly.
McConnell: As we wrap up here, Steve, I imagine BetCarolina.com going to be a good resource for people who are looking for some more information or trying to do some research as mobile sports wagering goes live in North Carolina. What kind of services does BetCarolina.com and Gambling.com offer to folks who are interested in wading into this world?
Bittenbender: With BetCarolina, first off, we are a resource for sports matters. We have reviews on our site that are easy to look up, easy to read. We tell you about the different sports books and sports betting applications that’ll be available and give you our expert opinion on what they offer, [like] their ease of use, what promos are available. Myself, I’m on the news side — I’m gonna be putting together some stories going through the ABCs of sports betting. You’re going to hear a lot of different terms. People probably know what point spreads are, but they may not know what money lines are. They may not know what totals are. I will have some articles to help people understand those. My goal is to help educate and inform bettors to let them know what’s available and to let them know how they can maximize the enjoyment of the experience. But I can’t promise that they’ll win!
North Carolina’s Problem Gambling Helpline is 877-718-5543 and more resources for those who need help can find more materials at More Than A Game.
Featured photo via Erin Martin/Elon News Network.
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“What is the national social cost of problem gambling? NCPG estimates that the annual national social cost of problem gambling is $14 billion. These costs include gambling-related criminal justice and healthcare spending as well as job loss, bankruptcy, and other consequences.” Good luck NC.