North Carolina’s legal onlinesports betting market crossed a major threshold in 2025, with total wagers exceeding $7 billion during the first complete calendar year since launch. The figures follow the rollout of statewide online betting in mid-March 2024 and reflect sustained activity across multiple months, including a strong close to the year.
In December alone, players placed more than $651 million in paid wagers. That marked the fourth straight month in which paid wagering activity topped $650 million, continuing a steady upward pattern seen throughout the second half of the year. December’s total also represented an increase of more than 6% compared with the same month in 2024.
December Activity Shows Strong Revenue Growth
Total wagering handle for December reached $665.9 million. Of that amount, $651.1 million came from paid wagering, while $14.8 million was attributed to “promo” wagering revenue. The commission also recorded $3 million in “cancelled voided wagers,” and players received $581.4 million back during the month.
After accounting for payouts, sportsbooks generated $81.5 million in gross wagering revenue in December. That figure more than doubled the $35.7 million recorded in December 2024, even though overall player spending increased by a smaller margin. December revenue fell short of November’s results, when bettors wagered a record $814 million, and gross wagering revenue reached $93 million. The state’s highest monthly revenue total remains $105.3 million, set in April 2024.
The statewide hold for December, based on total wagering handle, stood at 12.24%. Estimated tax proceeds from sports betting during the month reached $14.7 million.
Tax Collections And Allocation Across The State
Licensed sportsbooks in North Carolina pay an 18% tax on their gross wagering revenue, as calculated by the state lottery commission. In December, the state collected more than $14.6 million in taxes from operators. Across all of 2025, total tax collections from sports betting exceeded $132 million.
Lawmakers directed portions of that revenue to several uses. Funds support gambling addiction education and treatment programs through the state health department. Additional allocations go to two statewide youth sports organizations that distribute grants, a major events fund, and athletic departments within the UNC System, excluding NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill. Remaining revenue flows into the state’s general fund.
Market Growth Since Launch
The state lottery commission does not publish operator-specific results or sport-by-sport wagering data. However, it released aggregated figures for the first half of the fiscal year, covering the six months ending in December. During that period, bettors wagered $3.83 billion on sports, an increase of 20.1% from the same point in 2024. Gross wagering revenue rose 28.4% to $396.2 million, with a hold of 11.63%.
North Carolina approved legal sports betting in 2023, and online wagering went live in March 2024. Seven licensed operators currently serve the market, including FanDuel, DraftKings, Fanatics, ESPN Bet, Bet365, and BetMGM. Since launch, the state has posted several monthly records, including $686.1 million in September and more than $811 million in October, highlighting consistent growth as the market matures.
Source:
“Total bet on sports in North Carolina exceeds $7B in 2025”, wral.com. Jan 9, 2026
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