Sports betting in the Tar Heel State experienced significant year-over-year increases in both handle and revenue during August.
Key Takeaways
- The Tar Heel State’s August handle was the sixth over $400 million in 2025.
- Gross revenue jumped 60.5% from the same month in 2024.
- College football’s Week 1 landing in late August helped boost betting.
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission reported on Tuesday that sports bettors wagered $478.7 million, a 29.2% improvement from August 2024. It helped that sports betting caught Week 1 of college football at the tail end of the month, as well as NFL preseason games.
Gross revenue for the Tar Heel State’s eight online operators took a major leap, increasing a whopping 60.5% year-over-year to $54.1 million.
It’s the sixth month that North Carolina sports betting has generated at least $400 million in wagers. Last year, operators produced 400-million handles in seven months from March through December.
The 11.3% hold was up from the previous August’s 9.7%. It’s also the fifth double-digit win rate produced in 2025.
| N.C. Sports Betting | Handle | Revenue | Tax (estimated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2025 | $478,665,552 | $54,110,076 | $9,739,814 |
| August 2024 | $370,484,774 | $33,751,015 | $6,075,183 |
Paying out
Sportsbooks paid out $420.6 million in winnings to bettors in August, up from $334.7 million during the same month in 2024.
Operators were more giving during the last full month before the NFL regular season, spending $14.8 million in promotional bets. That’s up from the $13.1 million in August 2024 and the $8.8 million handed out in July.
Sportsbooks also canceled or voided $3.9 million in wagers. That left the Tar Heel State to fill its coffers with $9.7 million. North Carolina operators have paid out nearly $70 million in taxes to the state this year.
Bigger days coming
College football went the way of the sportsbooks in late August thanks to three top-10 favorites being upset: Texas, Clemson, and Notre Dame.
Sports betting will see a massive boost in handle in September’s release. North Carolina’s wagering went from $370.5 million in August 2024 to $575.4 million in September 2024. Handles then stayed over $600 million through January 2025.
