Caesars Sportsbook Entering North Carolina Market?

North Carolina legal sports betting regulators have been busy trying to fill out their providers before the launch of their much-anticipated platform, which is hoped to come sometime before the March Madness tournament. Many of our best sports betting apps will look to be included in that list.

The latest news from the North Carolina Lottery Commission is their inclusion of two new hopeful North Carolina sports betting apps in addition to the seven that have already been named. Catawba Two Kings Casino and Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise Cherokee have each applied for a legal sports betting license in the Tar Heel State.

Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise Cherokee is widely expected to partner up with Caesars Sportsbook, which already has a retail presence in the North Carolina sports betting space, to provide online sports betting services. Catawba Two Kings Casino's application did not mention any affiliation moving forward.

The Caesars connection

Caesars Sportsbook is the only sportsbook to have had an existing relationship with North Carolina bettors before the legalization of mobile sports betting. The sports betting behemoth has offered in-person, brick-and-mortar sports betting in the state through Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

Caesars’ newest rumored partnership will allow the sportsbook to add mobile sports betting to its already-established retail sports wagering platform in the state, granting residents additional opportunities to take advantage of North Carolina sportsbook promos.

Along with a partnership with one of the state's tribes, Caesars must align itself with one of the state's professional sports leagues, teams, or sports venues to offer mobile sports wagering in the state. All but one of the licensed online providers have inked such deals ahead of the impending launch in the Tar Heel State.

There has been no word of Caesars moving forward with any such partnership deal, but one could certainly be on the horizon.

Looking at the North Carolina scene

News of successful applicants for North Carolina sports betting sites access has been fluid the last month or so. The North Carolina Lottery Commission Lottery Commission has approved seven mobile sports betting licenses and sports venue/team partnerships with six of those seven.

Last week, DraftKings signed on with NASCAR, and BetMGM announced a partnership with Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The sportsbooks that have fulfilled all regulatory obligations include:

• bet365 with the Charlotte Hornets
• BetMGM with Charlotte Motor Speedway
• DraftKings with NASCAR
• Fanatics Betting and Gaming with the Carolina Hurricanes
• FanDuel with the PGA Tour
• PENN Sports Interactive (ESPN BET) with the Quail Hollow Club

Just Underdog has not announced a mandated partnership deal with a North Carolina sports entity. It appears it has two or so months to check that box.

But When?

There has been no shortage of news out of North Carolina about their impending legal sports betting platform. But we are still missing an all-important launch date for North Carolina sports betting sites.

Regulators have already signaled that the platform won't be ready for the Super Bowl, leaving March Madness as the next logical launch time. It would be a perfect time as North Carolina is as basketball-crazed as any state in the country.

More meetings have been scheduled, and it is hoped that an official launch date for legal sports wagering in the Tar Heel State will soon be announced.