The first full month of NFL action combined with college football in 2025 produced the biggest online sports betting handle the Tar Heel State has ever seen.
Key Takeaways
- September’s handle beat out the previous all-time high by $1 million.
- Gross revenue dipped nearly 5% year-over-year but spiked 24% compared to August.
- The Tar Heel State has collected over $80 million in tax revenue from sports betting in 2025.
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission reported on Wednesday that $686.1 million was wagered in September, a 19.2% increase from the $575.4 million bet during the same month in 2024.
North Carolina online sports betting’s new handle record surpassed March by $1 million, and it’s the eighth over $600 million in 19 months of mobile sports betting. The highest amount wagered last football season, North Carolina’s first, was $638.6 million in November 2024.
| N.C. Sports Betting | Handle | Revenue | Tax (estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | $686,064,471 | $66,763,867 | $12,017,496 |
| September 2024 | $575,398,078 | $70,062,945 | $12,611,330 |
Revenue drop
Despite the record-breaking handle, the eight online sports betting operators weren’t able to win back 10% of the amount wagered. North Carolina sportsbooks turned in a 9.7% hold, leading to $66.8 million in gross revenue.
That’s down 4.7% from the $70.1 million produced in September 2024 when operators enjoyed a 12.2% win rate that ranks second all time in the Tar Heel State. Still, September’s haul is the second-highest gross revenue generated by sportsbooks in 2025 and a nearly 24% month-over-month spike. Bettors got off to a good start nationally in the NFL, but sportsbooks rallied as the month went along.
Operators sent $12 million to the state, bringing North Carolina’s tax revenue total to over $80 million year-to-date.
Other September figures
In the NFL’s first month, it’s no surprise that promotional wagering more than doubled from August to $32 million in September. However, operators handed out $5 million fewer in bonuses than in the same month in 2024.
Bettors used the promotional wagering and $652.1 million of their own bets to cash out a combined $615.1 million. A little over $4 million was canceled or voided.
