The North Carolina State Lottery Commission’s monthly report confirmed that October 2025 produced the largest sports betting handle since legal online wagering launched in March 2024. NC bettors wagered $811.4 million across the seven licensed online operators; eclipsing the prior peak set during the 2024-25 NCAA Tournament window.
What the numbers mean
- Handle: $811.4M; total dollar amount wagered
- Gross gaming revenue (GGR): $78.1M; operator revenue after paying winning bets
- State tax (18% of GGR): $14.07M; direct revenue to NC general fund
- Implied hold: 9.6%; meaning operators kept roughly 9.6 cents on every dollar wagered
October’s hold percentage was slightly below the year-to-date average of 10.2%, reflecting bettor-friendly outcomes in NFL Week 4-8 and competitive ACC football openers.
Drivers of the record
Three factors converged in October 2025:
- NFL volume. October produces the highest NFL handle of any month; five full weekends of regular-season action, multiple Thursday/Monday primetime games, and Carolina Panthers Sunday slate.
- ACC football. Duke vs. Clemson, NC State vs. Wake Forest, and UNC’s ranked-opponent slate drove in-state college handle.
- MLB postseason. The 2025 MLB playoffs included high-volume markets through late October.
NC’s trajectory since March 2024
NC’s first 19 months of legal online sports betting have produced more than $14 billion in cumulative handle; well ahead of pre-launch state projections. The market continues to mature, with established repeat-user bases driving monthly volume floors of $400M+ even in lower-volume sports months.
What’s next
November 2025 handle is expected to set the monthly tax revenue record as the NFL season hits peak weekly wagering and college basketball season begins; including the Hurricanes’ competitive NHL schedule. NCSLC will publish November figures in mid-December.
For a broader context on NC sports betting growth, see our How to Bet on Sports in NC primer or compare current welcome offers on our NC Sportsbook Promos page.