The North Carolina State Lottery Commission reported $105.3 million in gross sports betting revenue for April, as bettors wagered more in comparison to March when excluding promotional credits and bonuses.
The total handle of $648.9 million for the first full month of wagering in the Tar Heel State was down 1.6% from the $659.3 million wagered in the last three weeks of March after launching March 11. Promotional spend by the state’s eight mobile operators, though, plunged more than 60% to $79.7 million — 12.3% of total handle. The $569.3 million in paid handle to the sports betting apps was $112.6 million higher compared to March.
After a strong opening month in which operators posted a 10.1% hold, they ran roughshod on the betting public in April, attaining a 16.2% win rate. It is the third-highest hold out of 107 state reports to be published to date where commercial sports betting is available in the United States.
North Carolina quickly joins select company
The nine-figure windfall made North Carolina only the fifth state in the post-PASPA era to surpass $100 million in monthly operator revenue along with New York, Ohio, New Jersey and lllinois. The Tar Heel State was second-fastest to the benchmark among the five, with Ohio posting a staggering $209 million in operator winnings in its January 2023 bow. It was the ninth time in 2024 a state reported more than $100 million in monthly sportsbook winnings.