North Carolina and is on the hunt for a licensing director to spearhead the state’s sports betting framework ahead of the launch of legalized sports betting.

The state has posted a job advertisement for a Director of Licensing. The job description is wide-ranging. Key roles and responsibilities are as follows:

  • Develop, implement and manage a licensing framework and program for sports betting and any future gaming approved by the General Assembly or Commission
    • Including: licensing and investigation policies, procedures and practices to align with the rules set by the North Carolina State Lottery Commission
  • Develop the department’s operational plans and annual budget, monitor performance and initiative changes where necessary to achieve agreed objectives
  • Oversee the examination, evaluation, and investigation of all gaming applicants to ensure applicants meet eligibility requirements as established by NC statutes and the lottery commission. Oversee field investigations and interviews of applicants, witnessees and other relevant parties to corroborate information on applicants.
  • Analyze industry trends and recommend changes to licensing and investigation requirements, policies and procedures as necessary

The description is far more exhaustive, but effectively the hire will be integral to the launch of North Carolina sports betting.

In addition, the North Carolina State Lottery Commission has opened a registration form for potential applicants for a Service Provider or a Supplier License. The form will provide interested parties with key information about the application process and sports betting updates as it edges closer to the launch of legal sports betting.

The definition of a ‘Service Provider’ is: “a business entity that provides covered services to an interactive sports wagering operator and holds a service provider license”. It specifies that the following are exempt from licensing:

  • Payment processing and similar financial services
  • Customer identity, geolocation and age verification services
  • Streaming or other video and data that does not include the determination of odds
  • Telecommunications and internet providers
  • Other goods or services not specifically designed for use in connection with sports wagering

A sports wagering supplier has a more certain definition, reading as follows: “A person that provides services, goods, software, or other components necessary for the creation of sports wagering markets and determination of sports wager outcomes, directly or indirectly, to any interactive sports wagering operator or service provider involved in the acceptance of sports wagers, including any of the following: providers of data feeds and odds services, internet platform providers, risk management providers, integrity monitoring providers, entities engaged in facilitating or enabling sports wagering activities on behalf of, or in affiliation with, interactive sports wagering operators in places of public accommodation, and other providers of sports wagering supplier services as determined by the Commission. The term does not include a sports governing body that provides raw statistical match data to one or more designated and licensed providers of data and odds services.”

The application fees for licensing in North Carolina are as follows:

  • Mobile operator license: $1,000,000
  • Service provider license: $50,000
  • Sports wagering supplier license: $30,000

The Sports Wagering and Horse Racing Wagering law passed into law on June 14, 2023 gives the commission up to a year (June 14, 2024) to prepare for wagering. The commission, however, aims to get NC sports betting “up and running in an effective and appropriate fashion as soon as possible”.