North Carolina
North Carolina Fields Seven Sportsbook Applications
Posted on: January 1, 2024, 12:01h.
Last updated on: January 1, 2024, 12:14h.
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission last week unveiled the list of companies that applied to receive retail and online sports betting privileges ahead of the agency’s “recommended submission” deadline of Dec. 27.
Sports betting market leaders DraftKings and FanDuel highlight the group of seven that additionally includes BetMGM, ESPN Bet, Fanatics, bet365, and Underdog Sports. State lawmakers and Gov. Roy Cooper (D) legalized commercial sports gambling last June.
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission, which is tasked with licensing and regulating the state’s newly expanded gaming industry, says it’ll need up to 90 days to review the online sports betting applications and issue licenses.
The law requires that such betting commence by June 15, 2024. But Cooper wants sportsbooks to begin taking bets in time for March Madness — the 2024 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
North Carolina is home to arguably the biggest rivalry in college basketball, with the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils blood enemies. The programs are respectively ranked No. 9 and No. 16 in the AP Top 25 poll. The blueblood programs are near perennial bracket entries.
Partnerships Align
North Carolina’s sports betting law requires sportsbook companies to partner with a professional sports team, venue, or one of two qualifying sports organizations — the PGA Tour and NASCAR.
FanDuel is partnered with the PGA Tour. Fanatics’ application is in conjunction with the NHL Carolina Hurricanes, while ESPN Bet is aligned with Quail Hollow Club, an annual stop on the PGA Tour that hosts the Wells Fargo Championship. Bet365 is bidding with the NBA Charlotte Hornets.
The three remaining applicants did not publicly disclose their professional sports partners. Potential partners include the NFL Carolina Panthers, National Women’s Soccer League’s North Carolina Courage, Charlotte Motor Speedway, and NASCAR.
If approved, sportsbook firms will be allowed to operate in-person and online sports betting. Their retail facilities will only be permitted at the host stadium or venue of their partnered organization.
Each sportsbook license costs a one-time $1 million fee. Gross revenue will be subject to an 18% tax. The state will appropriate much of the tax benefit to support collegiate athletics at state universities. Thirteen schools will receive up to $300,000 annually from the gaming expansion:
- Appalachian State University
- East Carolina University
- Elizabeth City State University
- Fayetteville State University
- North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University
- North Carolina Central University
- University of North Carolina at Asheville
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- University of North Carolina at Pembroke
- University of North Carolina at Wilmington
- Western Carolina University
- Winston-Salem State University
Along with the seven commercial sportsbook bids, Caesars Sportsbook is expected to apply as a licensed service provider to operate an online book on behalf of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Caesars operates the tribe’s two casinos in North Carolina — Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River.
For the tribe to gain online sports betting rights, Cooper must agree to amend the state’s Class III gaming compact to allow such gambling. The state is home to a third tribal casino in Kings Mountain called Catawba Two Kings Casino. The temporary casino is owned by the Catawba Indian Nation.
Can Underdogs Compete?
DraftKings and FanDuel dominate the U.S. sports betting landscape, with estimates suggesting they control as much as 75% of the industry. Their control led to a market consolidation last year, as many upstarts folded, including Fox Bet, WynnBet, and MaximBet.
Underdog is a new daily fantasy sports and sportsbook startup from Jeremy Levine, who cofounded the StarStreet and DRAFT fantasy apps that were acquired, respectively, by DraftKings and Paddy Power Betfair. Underdog recently gained its first online sports betting license via Ohio.
Underdog and the others bidding in North Carolina believe 2024 could be the year when smaller sportsbooks begin cutting into DraftKings and FanDuel’s market share. ESPN Bet is Penn Entertainment’s $1.5 billion wager on the industry after agreeing to pay ESPN that amount to leverage the sports media brand into its sports betting business.
North Carolina
2026 primary turnout report released for eastern NC counties; see your county’s numbers
Here are the voter turnout numbers for the 2026 primary election, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Hyde County had the highest voter turnout, while Onslow County had the lowest turnout. Check out what the voter turnout in your county was below:
BERTIE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
31.85% (3,911 out of 12,280)
CARTERET COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
29.06% (16,543 out of 56,931)
CRAVEN COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
18.63% (14,119 out of 75,778)
DUPLIN COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
21.93% (6,981 out of 31,832)
EDGECOMBE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
18.16% (6,428 out of 35,396)
GREENE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
19.70% (2,147 out of 10,900)
HYDE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
37.27% (1,123 out of 3,013)
JONES COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
25.91% (1,805 out of 6,966)
LENOIR COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
16.73% (6,251 out of 37,371)
MARTIN COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
17.61% (2,858 out of 16,228)
ONSLOW COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
11.44% (14,816 out of 129,537)
PAMLICO COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
24.03% (2,446 out of 10,180)
PITT COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
15.71% (19,429 out of 123,705)
TYRRELL COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
30.49% (723 out of 2,371)
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
28.66% (2,312 out of 8,067)
WAYNE COUNTY
Ballots Cast:
21.49% (16,408 out of 76,358)
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 6:41PM
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina schools and businesses took part in a statewide tornado drill Wednesday morning as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.
The National Weather Service led the drill at 9:30 a.m., broadcasting it on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System. Schools, workplaces and households across the state were encouraged to join in.
The National Weather Service didn’t issue a follow up alert to mark the end of the drill. Instead, each school or business wrapped up once they felt they had practiced the procedures thoroughly.
Wednesday’s drill also replaced the regular weekly NOAA Weather Radio test.
SEE | New warning for parents amid new ‘fire-breathing’ social media trend
Make sure to download the ABC 11 Mobile App ABC11 North Carolina Apps for Connected TV, Mobile News, Echo
Copyright © 2026 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Nida Allam in 2022; Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) in 2025.
Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee holds a narrow lead over challenger Nida Allam in the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional district as ballots continue to be counted.
In a race seen as an early test of whether Democratic voters desire generational change within the party, Foushee holds a lead of just over 1,000 votes with 99% of results in so far, according to the Associated Press.
Under state law, provisional votes will be counted in the coming days in a district that includes Durham and Chapel Hill. If the election results end up within a 1% margin, Allam could request a recount.
Successfully ousting an incumbent lawmaker is often extremely difficult and rare. However, there have been recent upsets in races as some voters are calling for new leaders and several sitting members of Congress face primary challengers this cycle.
Allam, a 32-year-old Durham County Commissioner, is running to the left of Foushee, 69, framing her candidacy as part of a broader rejection of longtime Democratic norms.
On the campaign trail, Allam ran on an anti-establishment message, pledging to be a stronger fighter than Foushee in Congress, both in standing up against President Trump’s agenda and when pushing for more ambitious policy.
“North Carolina is a purple state that often gets labeled red, but we’re not a red state,” she told NPR in an interview last month, emphasizing the need to address affordability concerns. “We are a state of working-class folks who just want their elected officials to champion the issues that are impacting them.”
She drew a contrast with the congresswoman on immigration, voicing support for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Foushee has declined to go that far, advocating instead for ICE to be defunded and for broader reforms to the federal immigration system.
Allam also clashed with Foushee over U.S. policy towards Israel. As a vocal opponent of Israel’s war in Gaza, Allam swore off campaign donations from pro-Israel lobbying groups, such as AIPAC, and repeatedly criticized Foushee for previously accepting such funds.
Though Foushee announced last year that she would not accept AIPAC donations this cycle, she and Allam continued to spar over the broader role of outside spending in the race.
Their matchup comes four years after the candidates first squared off in 2022, when Allam lost to Foushee in what became the most expensive primary in the state’s history, with outside groups spending more than $3.8 million.
However, this year is poised to break that record. Outside groups have reported spending more than $4.4 million on the primary matchup, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
WUNC’s Colin Campbell contributed to this report.
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