Sports betting increased 6.3% in April compared to the same month in 2025.
Key Takeaways
- North Carolinians wagered over $600 million for the seventh time in the last eight months.
- No college basketball team in the hoops-centric state made the Final Four.
- Revenue spiked more than 37% compared to April 2025.
The North Carolina State Lottery Commission reported on Thursday that the seven online operators generated $612.5 million in the fourth month of 2026, up from April 2025’s $576.2 million.
The amount wagered in the basketball-centric state rose despite no North Carolina teams reaching the Final Four, which wrapped up the NCAA Tournament in early April. Top-seeded Duke was upset in the Elite Eight in March by UConn, which went to to lose in the National Championship Game to Michigan.
A full month of MLB action and the Masters also helped drive at least $600 million in bets for the seventh time in eight months. However, April 2024, the first full month of sports betting in North Carolina, generated nearly 6% more dollars wagered than the latest reported period. It helped that NC State made the Final Four that year and promotional spending was still very high.
| N.C. Sports Betting | Handle | Revenue | YoY Revenue Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | $612,495,383 | $64,464,939 | +37.6% |
Revenue rises
North Carolina online sports betting operators produced $64.5 million in gross revenue, the second-lowest month of profits behind February in 2026. Still, sportsbooks made 37.6% more revenue in North Carolina than the previous April.
Bettors won back less than $600 million for just the third time in the last eight months. However, they kept the operators’ hold under double digits for the first time since July 2025, as sportsbooks kept 8.2%, the sixth-lowest win rate ever produced in the Tar Heel State.
FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Fanatics, Caesars, theScore Bet, and bet365 combined to spend $18 million in promotion wagering, down from the $20.8 million spent in March but more than the $14.4 million doled out in February.
Tax haul
With an 18% tax rate, North Carolina operators sent $11.6 million to the state in April, over $3 million more than in the same month in 2025.
With April’s haul, the Tar Heel State has generated over $50 million in estimated tax revenue year to date and over $121 million since the fiscal year began last July.
