North Carolina Sports Betting Handle, Revenue Dip YoY In April

To be reasonable, no month has actually matched what Tar Heel State sports betting created in its first full month a year ago.


- Tar Heel State operators created $576.2 million in wagers, down 11.2% from the previous year.
- College basketball had a limited result in April, but Duke's loss in the Final Four likely assisted sportsbooks increase month-over-month earnings.
- Sports wagering has resulted in $38 million in tax earnings for the Tar Heel State in 2025.


The North Carolina State Lottery Commission reported on Monday that eight online operators hauled in $46.8 million in revenue in April, down 55.5% from the all-time state record of $105.2 million. The 2nd highest grossing month was November, which saw $78 million produced.


Sportsbooks in the basketball-centric state generated $576.2 million in wagers in April 2025, down 11.2% from the previous year. Duke, the preferred to win everything, was the only in-state group to reach the males's NCAA Final Four. Heaven Devils lost in a semifinal to Houston.


That definitely helped operators bounce back in revenue, producing $8 million more than in March. The NBA playoffs likewise left to an operator-friendly start during April, which produced an 8.1% hold. That's up from 5.6% but just half of April 2024's win rate.


Basketball reduction


Without a complete month of college basketball, the regular monthly handle reduced by 15.9%. Still, March and April produced a combined $1.26 billion in wagers. That's down from the $1.31 billion produced from the exact same two months in 2024, which includes simply three weeks of betting in March.


Year-to-date, online North Carolina sports betting has produced $2.4 billion in wagers, while operators FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, bet365, Caesars, Fanatics Sportsbook, ESPN BET, and Underdog have made more than $215 million in revenue given that January. The Tar Heel State has yet to present retail sports wagering or pari-mutuel betting.


More in the coffers?


The commission approximated that sports betting resulted in $8.4 million in tax income for North Carolina. The Tar Heel State has filled its coffers with more than $38 million in 2025 and over $94 million given that the financial year started in July.


Lawmakers are looking for a method to use sports wagering to generate much more cash. The Senate passed a state spending plan last month that would increase the tax rate on the eight online operators from the existing 18% to a proposed 36%. The budget plan, which would go into effect on Oct.

.