How Will North Carolina Mobile Sports Betting Impact Neighboring States?

Online sports betting officially opened to North Carolina residents on Monday, with sports bettors in the Tar Heel State eligible to place their first online wagers at 12 p.m. ET on any of the state’s eight licensed online sportsbooks.

North Carolina shares borders with Virginia to the north, Tennessee to the west, and South Carolina and Georgia to the south. And the introduction of legal North Carolina sports betting apps means patrons will no longer have to travel out of state to place online sports bets.

Now that North Carolina sports betting is finally a reality (and most early sign-ups have taken full advantage of the bevy of available North Carolina sportsbook promos), what impact will that have on the four states that share a border?

Georgia

Georgia is one of 20 U.S. states that does not currently allow sports betting. That includes online sports betting and casinos, despite four straight years of legislative attempts.

Georgia residents looking to wager on sports can board the Emerald Princess cruise ship in Brunswick and make their bets in international waters, but there are no options within the state’s boundaries. North Carolina residents have never been able to cross the Georgia border to bet on sports, so NC’s recent legalization will have no impact on Georgia’s non-existent sports betting marker.

You might, however, see a surge of interest in Georgia residents making the trip to North Carolina for a little betting action.

South Carolina

Like Georgia, South Carolina does not allow sports betting either online, or at brick-and-mortar establishments. The state has proposed legislation in four of the last five years, but the proposals have gained very little momentum.

It’s unlikely South Carolina legalizes sports betting any time soon. As such, North Carolina’s legalization is irrelevant to its southern neighbor – but proximity to their now-legal neighbor should entice plenty of South Carolina wannabe bettors to make their way north.

Tennessee

Tennessee law bans casinos, but the state does allow online sports betting at any of its 10 licensed sportsbooks. Those books include BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel, among others.

North Carolina residents on the Tennessee border can take a short drive to cities such as Knoxville, Chattanooga, Gatlinburg, Johnson City, and Bristol and bet on sports legally, but they’ll no longer have to make the pilgrimage across the border after online sports betting opened up on March 11.

Fortunately for the Tennessee sports betting market, those cities attract plenty of tourism, so North Carolina’s legalized sports betting shouldn’t cause a catastrophic impact. Still, the Volunteer State will likely experience a dip in revenue now that residents of its Eastern neighbor no longer have to cross the border to make online sports wagers.

Virginia

Virginia sports betting represents the most substantial offering of any of North Carolina’s bordering states. The Old Dominion State offers three casinos:

• Caesars VA (Danville)

• Rivers Casino (Portsmouth)

• Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (Bristol)

All three of the state’s casinos are short drives from the North Carolina border, and though betting in person is an appealing option to some, the convenience of betting from home at a licensed online sportsbook could mean these casinos take a hit in attendance from North Carolina residents.

There are also a whopping 16 Virginia sports betting apps to choose from, one of the most diverse offerings among states with legalized online sports betting. North Carolina’s border with Virginia is its biggest among neighboring states, and Virginia’s online sports betting market is sure to take a hit now that North Carolina residents no longer have to travel north to make their wagers