North Carolina’s government is serious in its attempts to regulate sports betting, especially fantasy sports betting in the state. The State decided to prohibit daily fantasy sports pick’em contests that are similar to props.

The new legislation:

However, the Coalition for Fantasy Sports is positive that the legislators will protect fantasy sports when the sports betting law is changed in the spring.

The North Carolina Sports Betting Committee held its first meeting, and some of the changes were made immediately – the first set of gambling rules were already approved.

The approved rules are related to the outlets that offer sports betting services, and they pertain specifically to the ones that offer money lines, over-under, and spreads.

After House Bill 247 was approved by Governor Roy Cooper in June, some of the sports betting outlets, kiosks, casinos, and other physical locations had to be regulated as well.

One of the main points of discussion was separating the new regulations from the state lottery operations. Sterl Carpenter, Gaming Compliance and Sports Betting Deputy Executive said: “The new rules will apply to regulated sports betting and pari-mutuel actors and not our lottery retailers. Lottery operations fall outside of this rule’s new manual.”

Bidding for license:

The total number of the rules was 48. Both eight physical locations and 12 online sportsbooks will be obligated to comply with them in the next year. Carpenter commented on this: “These rules would apply to any applicant seeking a license from the commission. Whether it be an ADW license or a license to be a sports betting operator, service provider, or supplier.”

The anonymous vote decided on the results, and the committee was satisfied with the results. They are positive that all changes required to open all outlets by June 2024, which is the deadline of this project, will be conducted. 

The next step is bidding for the new licenses, and it is expected that huge brands such as FanDuel, DraftKings, and Barstool Sportsbook will place their bids.

As WLOS ABC 13 News reports, the Committee noted that gamblers who are used to betting in other U.S. states can expect a similar process. Carpenter added: “These are foundational rules. This includes definitions, incorporation of industry standards, license and application rules, and rules regarding the written designation agreements for operators.”

What would all of these changes mean for daily fantasy sports? It remains to be seen whether the climate of banning DFS in states such as Wyoming and Florida will affect the North Carolina market or whether the legislators will fulfill the promise they allegedly gave to the Coalition.