Legal online sports betting in North Carolina begins today

“Bets on sporting events have been made for as long as those events have taken place, but this time they will be legal, they will be done securely and fairly, and they will be made under rules designed to encourage responsible gaming,” commission Chair Ripley Rand said in a January news release.

Legal sports betting has already been happening in North Carolina at three casinos operated by either the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians or the Catawba Indian Nation. The two tribes have now applied for online licenses with the state.

North Carolina becomes the 30th state, along with the District of Columbia, to offer mobile sports betting, according to the American Gaming Association.

"It started in 2018 with the Supreme Court ruling that made it possible for the states to decide," said Gary Deutsch, Chief Financial Officer of Bet MGM. "And then there was a big burst of states, and then it's been slowing down a little bit. There's been to a certain degree across the south is what we're looking at that could go next."

Monday, North Carolina joined that burst of states officially allowing online sports betting to the following eight licensed companies:

• Bet 365 NC
• BetMGM NC
• Caesars Sportsbook
• DraftKings NC
• Fanatics Betting and Gaming
• FanDuel NC
• ESPN BET NC
• Underdog Sports

State leaders say this was a win-win for both sides. North Carolina is taxing these companies by 18 percent, generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue.

Officials say that money will be used for everything from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, youth sports, state universities, and gambling addiction resources.

Each company is subject to strict regulations, requiring them to track their user's locations and make sure they're within state lines. And with new technology, using a VPN or spoofing your location shouldn't change that.

"I know there's people who try. They say, 'hey, you're on the inside. How do you get round this?' And I'm like, you don't, it works, that's the point," said Rob Brazer with Fanatics Sportsbook.

While Georgia and South Carolina are among the states that have discussed online sports betting, it's still illegal there.