Let the ads begin: Sports betting companies start outreach in North Carolina
Posted February 5, 2024 4:25 p.m. EST
Updated February 5, 2024 6:58 p.m. EST
Sports gamblers in North Carolina can't place bets or even create accounts with online betting companies yet.
But operators already have begun advertising in the state with ads appearing on social media and television.
Industry leaders FanDuel and DraftKings placed digital ads announcing their presence in North Carolina over the weekend, and DraftKings will begin television advertising this week.
North Carolina regulators announced in late January that sports betting will begin in the state at noon on March 11. Bettors can create accounts and deposit money in them beginning at noon on March 1.
As many as nine operators could begin taking bets in the state on March 11, though the North Carolina Lottery Commission has yet to announce which operators will be approved for licenses.
"If we look at what’s happened around other states that have legalized sports gambling, we should anticipate more than a barrage of marketing and media," said Michelle Malkin, director of the Gambling Research & Policy Initiative Director at East Carolina University.
"It’s going to be every other advertisement on TV. It’s going to be in print. It’s going to be on billboards. It will be on the radio. It will be on social media."
The commission, which is tasked with overseeing mobile sports betting, has published rules about advertising. Several rules prohibit operators from targeting people younger than the age of 21.
The operators that have applied for licenses are FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, ESPN Bet, Caesars Sportsbook, Fanatics Sportsbook, bet365 and Underdog Sports. The Catawba Nation also applied for an operator license, but has yet to announce its betting partner.
