North Carolina’s online sports betting market has closed the books on FY26 — and the final numbers confirm the state’s transition from a new market still finding its footing to a mature, multi-billion-dollar enterprise.
The NC State Lottery Commission’s June 2026 report, released in July, shows $589.6 million in total handle for the month, bringing the full-year FY26 total to $7.623 billion — a figure that was unimaginable when online wagering launched with eight operators on March 11, 2024.
June’s numbers: bettors had a good month
June was not a banner month for sportsbook margins. The monthly hold rate came in at 9.18% — the second-lowest of any month in FY26, behind only July 2025 (when football season hadn’t started and handle cratered). That means for every $100 wagered in June, sportsbooks kept just $9.18 before expenses.
| Metric | June 2026 | FY26 Average |
|---|---|---|
| Total handle | $589.6M | $635.3M |
| GGR | $54.1M | $66.2M |
| Hold rate | 9.18% | ~10.4% |
| Tax proceeds | $9.7M | $11.9M |
The soft hold rate likely reflects the event mix. June brought the Stanley Cup Final (Carolina Hurricanes) and the first two weeks of FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage action. Both events generate enormous betting volume — but also sharp betting, with more sophisticated sports bettors concentrating their action on specific outcomes in marquee events. Sharp action compresses sportsbook margins.
World Cup drove record void volume
The single most striking datapoint in the June report: $5.2 million in cancelled and voided wagers — by far the highest of any month in FY26. For context, most months run between $1M and $3M in voids. June’s figure was more than 70% above the next-highest month.
The most likely explanation: World Cup group-stage complications. VAR reviews, ejections, and officiating incidents in major matches can trigger mass prop-bet voids when specific statistical events (goals, assists, cards) are affected. With the World Cup’s first matches played across venues in North Carolina, Texas, California, and beyond, the volume of affected bets would have been unusually high.
FY26 complete: the full picture
With twelve months now finalized, FY26 establishes the baseline for North Carolina’s mature online market:
| FY26 Full Year | Total |
|---|---|
| Handle | $7,623,390,043 |
| GGR | $794,751,177 |
| Tax proceeds | $143,055,213 |
| Promo spending | $229,169,425 |
Those tax proceeds — $143 million over 12 months — have flowed to the state’s general fund and university athletic programs, a revenue stream that was $0 as recently as March 2024.
One note on methodology: NCSLC restated several earlier months in the June report. April 2026, for example, was revised upward from $612.5M to $619.2M in handle, adding roughly $1.25M to April’s GGR figure. These periodic adjustments reflect operators’ final accounting after initial estimates.
The last year at 18%
FY26 is significant beyond the raw numbers: it is the last full fiscal year at the 18% tax rate that applied when online betting launched. The state budget signed this summer raises the rate to 23% for FY27 and beyond — meaning sportsbooks will owe roughly $28 million more in taxes annually at the same volume levels.
Whether that tax increase moderates growth (by squeezing operator margins and reducing promotional spending) is the key question heading into FY27. Promo spending in FY26 totaled $229.2 million — about 30% of GGR — and operators competing aggressively for market share will need to recalibrate those budgets under the new rate.
What’s next
FY27 launched July 1, 2026 — bringing the NFL preseason, college football, and the World Cup knockout rounds through mid-July. The combination of a World Cup semifinal weekend (July 12–13) and the approach of NFL season should push July and August handles well above FY26’s comparable months.
NC’s seven active licensed sportsbooks enter the new fiscal year with a higher tax burden, a settled competitive landscape (no new major entrants expected soon), and the continued backdrop of prediction market regulation working its way through the legislature.
Source: NCSLC Monthly Revenue Report – June 2026. For current NC sportsbook bonuses and promotions, see our NC Promos page.