The NFL season – the peak time of the year for US sportsbooks – has now begun, and new research from the American Gaming Association reveals bettors will risk $35 billion on the 17 weeks of regular season contests that will run through January.
BetCarolina.com has taken the AGA’s projection and taken it a step further to break that total down on a state-by-state level, crunching the numbers specific to North Carolina sports betting. We did that by taking the handle data reported by 33 states from April to June and identifying each state’s market share. We then multiplied that percentage by $35 billion to come up with the number.
Bookmark our NFL Betting guide here as well ahead of this Sunday's slate.
State | Estimated Handle On NFL Regular Season Games |
New York | $5.98 billion |
Illinois | $3.27 billion |
New Jersey | $2.9 billion |
Ohio | $2 billion |
Pennsylvania | $1.88 billion |
Arizona | $1.85 billion |
North Carolina | $1.73 billion |
Nevada | $1.73 billion |
Massachusetts | $1.66 billion |
Virginia | $1.64 billion |
We project Tar Heel State bettors will plunk down $1.73 billion on NFL games this season, a total that includes single-game wagers, parlays and futures bets on North Carolina betting apps. That’s the seventh-highest total of the US betting states that report handles on a monthly basis. That puts North Carolina in pretty select company and just slightly ahead of Nevada, the mecca of US sports betting, in our forecast.
One note: Given the popularity of football and the number of high-profile bettors who wager out of Las Vegas, our projection for Nevada is likely on the low side. Still, it’s a good sign for North Carolina that it’s able to attract that much betting traffic in just a few months.
While many associate North Carolina with basketball and college sports, it’s grown beyond that to be a state with several major league franchises. The NFL’s Carolina Panthers are coming off one of their worst seasons ever, but there’s hope in Charlotte that second-year quarterback Bryce Young can blossom under new head coach Dave Canales. BetCarolina has a complete guide to Panthers vs Saints Week 1 here.
Oddsmakers at DraftKings North Carolina Sportsbook have set the Panthers’ season win total at 5.5 wins, with odds for the over at -130 and the under at +110. While that total doesn’t get fans excited for a possible winning season, hitting or surpassing that total would be a marked improvement from last year’s 2-15 campaign.
North Carolina is the newest state to launch statewide sports betting, having launched just six months ago. But in that short time, the Tar Heel State has emerged as one of the top sports betting states in the country.
According to the data from the North Carolina State Lottery Commission, bettors have wagered more than $2.23 billion since mobile sports betting apps were cleared to start taking bets on March 11. That puts the state on par with states such as Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.
As the handle ranks among the top in the country, the state has also experienced a return on investment that’s far exceeded expectations. When state lawmakers passed the sports betting law last year, supporters estimated North Carolina would generate about $65 million in tax revenue for the first year. Through July – less than five full months of activity – the state has already received $57.1 million.
With this being the first NFL season for North Carolina sports bettors, the upcoming five months are expected to be the biggest yet for the state. That’s based on trends seen over the past six years since the Supreme Court opened the door for all states to legalize wagering.
BetCarolina will keep you up-to-date with the monthly handle reports.
USA Today photo by Jim Dedmon.
Author
As a writer and analyst for BetCarolina.com, Steve not only covers gaming news and developments in North Carolina but also provides insights into what they mean for bettors, licensed operators and the state. A veteran journalist with 25 years of experience covering sports, politics and business, Steve has reported on the gambling industry intently over the past five years.
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