Licensing
What you need to know
All entities engaged in offering sports wagering or horse race wagering must be licensed by the North Carolina State Lottery Commission. Licensing ensures those doing business in sports wagering and horse race wagering meet state qualifications and comply with state law in their operations. Facilities and entities, including those listed below, that do not require licenses must also comply with state law and Commission rules in their operations.
Sports Wagering
There are three (3) categories of sports wagering licenses: Interactive sports wagering operators, service providers, and sports wagering suppliers.
Interactive Sports Wagering Operator Licenses
An interactive sports wagering operator is a business that offers and accepts sports wagers on sporting events. To qualify as an interactive sports wagering operator, the licensee must be a party to a written designation agreement with a professional sports team; the owner or operator of a motorsports facility or a facility that hosts a professional golf tournament annually; a sports governing body that annually sanctions more than one National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing national touring race in the state; a sports governing body that annually sanctions more than one professional golf tournament. A licensing fee of $1 million is required of applicants.
Service Provider Licenses
A service provider provides covered services that create sports wagering markets and determine sports wager outcomes that involve the operation, management, or control of sports wagers. A licensing fee of $50,000 is required of applicants.
Supplier Licenses
A sports wagering supplier provides services, goods, software, or other components necessary for the creation of sports wagering markets and determination of sports wager outcomes to interactive sports operators or service providers. A licensing fee of $30,000 is required of applicants.
Licensing Questions
If you have a question that is not under the FAQs on the ‘About’ tab please use the link below to fill out your question.
Sample Applications
- NC Operator License Application Sample
- NC Service Provider Application Sample
- NC Supplier License Application Sample
- NC Multi Jurisdictional Personal Disclosure Form Sample (For use with each application for all key persons)
Places of Public Accommodation
Permanent places of public accommodation are venues where in-person sports wagering is offered. These venues are associated with certain sports facilities identified in the statute, which will each partner with one interactive sports wagering operator. They are permitted on the property of a sports facility and on property owned by a sports facility and, depending on the type of facility, located either within a half mile or within one and a half miles of the facility.
Horse Race Wagering
There is one category of license for pari-mutuel horse race wagering, Advance deposit wagering.
Advanced Deposit Wagering Licensee
An advanced deposit wagering licensee may accept or offer to accept advance deposit account wagers on horse racing. A licensing fee of $1 million is required of applicants. Licenses are reviewed annually. A licensee pays an annual fee of 1 percent of the total pari-mutuel wagers placed and accepted by the licensee in the applicable year.
Learn more
The information contained on this webpage is provided for summary purposes. Read about specific statutory and regulatory requirements in the State Lottery Act and the Commission’s rule manual.