Rules
What you need to know
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission is responsible for adopting the rules that govern sports wagering and horse race wagering in North Carolina. The rules ensure that sports wagering and horse racing wager are done fairly and responsibly in North Carolina.
Commission Rulemaking
The Commission maintains its rules in the North Carolina State Lottery Commission Rules Manual for Sports Wagering and Pari-Mutuel Wagering. The Commission’s rules can also be found in Chapter 6 of the North Carolina Administrative Code, Title 24, Independent Agencies. On March 27, 2024, the Commission readopted the Rules Manual with an updated numbering system that uses the system and style of the North Carolina Administrative Code. To cross-reference the originally adopted rule citations to the updated rule citations, please see the history note at the bottom of each rule in the Rules Manual, or reference this chart prepared by Commission staff.
Below are the links to the GLI documents reference in our Rules manual.
Anyone wishing to view or download a copy can do so by clicking its name.
CMP Change Management Program Guide GLI-33 – Event Wagering Systems v1.1 GLI-20 Kiosks v2.0
September 18, 2024 Notice of Rulemaking
During a public meeting on September 18, 2024, the Sports Betting Committee of the North Carolina State Lottery Commission approved commencing the rulemaking process and issued Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
The Commission’s initial public comment period ran from September 18, 2024, through October 18, 2024. The Commission received constructive feedback from members of the public and stakeholders. Commission staff considered all public comments and made revisions to certain proposed rules.
During a public meeting on November 12, 2024, the Sports Betting Committee approved an additional public comment period on staff revisions to the proposed rules initially noticed on September 18, 2024. The Committee issued Notice of Changes to Proposed Rule Text and Additional Public Comment Period. The Commission’s additional public comment period on staff revisions to the proposed rules ran from November 12, 2024, through November 27, 2024.
In a public meeting on December 18, 2024, the Commission voted to adopt a portion of the rules proposed on September 18, 2024 and revised and noticed on November 12, 2024. For further details please see the links below in the Historical Rulemaking Proceedings Chart.
The rule adoptions and amendments from this rulemaking proceeding will become effective on January 17, 2025. An updated Rules Manual will be posted to this website shortly.
If you are interested in receiving future notices of the Commission’s rulemaking process via email, please register to the Commission’s rulemaking interested persons list by visiting this link.
For further information please consult the Notice of Rulemaking linked above or email the Commission at SportsWagering@ncgaming.gov.
Historical Rulemaking Proceedings
| Date Notice Issued | Notice of Proposed Rule Text | Public Comment Period(s) | Adoption Date | Effective Date | Adopted Rule Text |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 18, 2024 | Link (9/18/2024) Link (11/12/2024) | September 18, 2024 – October 18, 2024 November 12, 2024 – November 27, 2024 | December 18, 2024 | January 17, 2025 | Link |
| October 17, 2023 | Link | October 17, 2023 through November 1, 2023 | November 16, 2023 | January 8, 2024 | Link |
| November 7, 2023 | Link | November 7, 2023 through November 27, 2023 | December 13, 2023 | January 8, 2024 | Link |
| March 20, 2024 | Link | March 20, 2023 through April 19, 2024 | May 23, 2024 | June 22, 2024 | Link |
For further information please or email the Commission at sportswagering@ncgaming.gov.
Rulemaking Policy & Procedures
The Commission adopted a rulemaking policy in September 2023, to establish a transparent, deliberative rulemaking process for implementing Articles 9 and 10 of the Act. Taking into consideration the evolving nature of authorized gaming and wagering in North Carolina, the Rulemaking Policy and Procedure provides the Commission flexibility to act in a timely manner to serve the public interest, while including provisions that ensure the general public and all stakeholders have an opportunity to be heard through public comment. The Commission’s Rulemaking Policy and Procedure can be found at this link.
Subscribe to Receive Rulemaking Notices
If you are interested in receiving future notices of the Commission’s rulemaking process via email, please register to the Commission’s rulemaking interested persons list by completing this form.
Sports Wagering Law
On June 8, 2023, the N.C. General Assembly passed Session Law 2023-42 (H347), “An Act to Authorize and Regulate Wagering on Professional, College, and Amateur Sports and on Horse Racing in North Carolina, and to Authorize Live Horse Racing in North Carolina,” and the governor signed it into law on June 14, 2023. This new law establishes the North Carolina State Lottery Commission as the state’s licensing body and regulator for authorized wagering on sports and horse racing and empowered the Commission to adopt rules necessary to carry out the provisions of G.S. Chapter 18C.
The N.C. General Assembly made changes to this new law in the recently passed budget, Session Law 2023-134 (H259), “An Act to Make Base Budget Appropriations for Current Operations of State Agencies, Departments, and Institutions.” See “Sports Wagering Technical Considerations,” beginning on page 355 at Section 11.18.
Compliance
What you need to know
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission is responsible for ensuring all entities engaged in sports wagering or horse race wagering comply with state law and regulations governing those activities. Compliance with regulations instills public confidence in sports wagering and horse race wagering and helps to ensure that all activities are done fairly and ethically.