North Carolina online sportsbooks accepted $589.6 million in wagers during June 2026, helped by the Stanley Cup Final, NBA Finals and World Cup. Betting volume rose sharply, although operator revenue fell from a year earlier.
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FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Fanatics, Caesars, theScore Bet and bet365 combined for $589.6 million in North Carolina sports betting handle during June.
June became the tenth consecutive month with more than $500 million in wagers. Only one other month since launch has produced annual handle growth above 30%.
A packed sports calendar gave bettors plenty of options. All six Stanley Cup Final games took place during the month, with the Carolina Hurricanes beating the Vegas Golden Knights for the title. The NBA Finals and World Cup also supported betting activity.
Bettors collected $530.3 million in winnings, compared with $372 million one year earlier. Operators also recorded more than $5.2 million in canceled or voided wagers, among the highest monthly totals reported by the North Carolina State Lottery Commission.
Revenue told a different story. Sportsbooks kept $54.1 million after payouts, down 6.8% from June 2025 and the lowest monthly total since July 2025.
The 9.2% sportsbook hold rate also landed below 10% for only the second time in the past 12 months. Higher customer winnings limited revenue even as betting volume climbed.
Promotional credits reached $18.8 million, up 50% from June 2025. However, operators spent about $2 million less on promotions than during the March Madness period.
Licensed sportsbooks paid a combined $9.7 million in June sports betting taxes. Year to date collections reached $71.7 million, nearly $11 million above the first six months of 2025.
Governor Josh Stein recently signed SB 257, raising the North Carolina online sports betting tax rate from 18% to 23%. The increase gives North Carolina one of the higher sportsbook tax rates among competitive US mobile betting markets.
At the former 18% rate, June revenue produced about $9.7 million in tax. Applying a 23% rate to the same revenue figure would produce roughly $12.5 million, or about $2.7 million more.
The law also creates a 6% tax on net trading fee revenue from prediction markets. Federally designated exchanges will not need a North Carolina sports betting license, while the prediction market tax starts on January 1, 2027.
That structure creates separate rules for North Carolina sportsbooks and CFTC regulated prediction market platforms. Sportsbooks face licensing requirements and a 23% gross wagering revenue tax, while qualifying event contract exchanges face a lower tax based on trading fees.