FanDuel has (North) Carolina on its mind. The well-known sportsbook and online casino operator announced a partnership with the PGA to pursue an online sports betting license in North Carolina.
Laws in the Tarheel State require operators to enter the market through partnerships with certain types of professional sports entities, including PGA TOUR events and the PGA itself.
Scott Warfield, Vice President of Gaming at the PGA, told the Sports Business Journal that the TOUR knows FanDuel well, presumably through the operator’s role as the TOUR’s official sports betting partner.
“We are very familiar with FanDuel. We are probably the president of their fan club,” Warfield told the Sports Business Journal. “And we intend to be in business with them as long as we’re in sports betting. That made something that’s long-term like this make a ton of sense.”
What the PGA and FanDuel license announcement means
In short, FanDuel will work with the PGA TOUR to submit a sports betting license application to the North Carolina Lottery Commission (NCLC), which oversees North Carolina sports betting.
North Carolina legislators and Gov. Roy Cooper legalized sports betting earlier this year. And, as it typically goes in new markets that haven’t launched yet, the NCLC opened a preliminary application window on Dec. 1 and will close on Dec. 278, according to NC Sharp.
There should be no hiccups in the process for FanDuel. The company is a US sports betting veteran. It operates online gambling in 23 states and Washington DC. Their paperwork will likely be airtight.
Additionally, the state no doubt wants FanDuel in the market. Big operators have big customer bases. Big customer bases mean more bets. More bets mean more revenue for the state.
North Carolina sportsbook applications are rolling in
NC Sharp noted that 11 sports betting operators have asked the NCLC for an online sports betting application.
Additionally, two operators besides FanDuel have announced NCLC-compliant partnerships ahead of their applications: bet365 and newcomer ESPN Bet.
In November, bet365 went with the Charlotte Hornets. This past week, ESPN Bet paired up with the Quail Hollow Club, which is home to the Wells Fargo Championship PGA TOUR stop.
There hasn’t been any word from DraftKings, FanDuel’s main competitor, about North Carolina sports partnerships. That being said, it would be no surprise if DraftKings announces a license-qualifying partnership in the next two weeks.