But the high amount bet didn’t translate into a record month for operator revenue or tax revenue as sportsbooks had their lowest hold since launch in March 2024. The 5.8% win rate marked only the third time that operators had a hold of less than 10% in North Carolina.
In December, consumers placed $629.5 million in bets, the third-most of any month since legal betting went live. Of that, bettors won back $590.9 million and operators reported $35.7 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR), the second-lowest GGR in history. Sportsbooks wrote off $16.4 million in promotional play.
North Carolina taxes sportsbooks at 18% of GGR, and operators contributed $6.4 million to state coffers, the second-lowest since launch. For comparison, the two other times that tax revenue was $6.5 million or less, bettors wagered $367.5 million (August 2024) and $395 million (June 2024). Hold for those months as 9.2% and 10.2%, respectively.
Compared to November, bettors wagered about 4% less in December. Due to the low hold, operator and tax revenue in December were less than half of November.
The lottery commission does not break down wagers by operator or by sport. Eight platforms are currently live in the state, and the revenue report reflects online betting only. Retail betting is permitted at tribal casinos, but is not taxed by the state.
