Charlotte is home to major professional sports teams from the NFL (Panthers), NBA (Hornets) and MLS (Charlotte FC). None of these teams have won a championship, with the Carolina Panthers losing in the Super Bowl on two different occasions. The pro sports teams haven’t been great to the fans in the city, but that hasn’t stopped the sports betting culture from growing in Charlotte over the past decade. It has become very common for Charlotte residents to place sports wagers at online betting sites that serve the United States market.

On this page I will touch on the legalities surrounding sports betting in Charlotte, recommend two betting sites for Charlotte residents and look at the history of the two major sports teams in the city.

Is Sports Betting Legal in Charlotte?

Retail sports betting (offline) is technically legal in North Carolina, but there are only three tribal casinos currently taking sports bets in the state. Two of the sportsbooks are at Harrah’s casinos located in the Western part of the state (a three hours drive from Charlotte). The third tribal casino, Catawba Two Kings, is located about a 40 minute drive west of Charlotte, making it a possible destination for Charlotte sports bettors. So to answer the question, sports betting is legal in Charlotte, but it’s difficult to access.

It is not currently legal to operate an online sportsbook in Charlotte. The most recent attempt in 2022 to legalize online sports betting in North Carolina failed, so 2024 will now be the earliest time frame for regulated sports betting in the state.

That said, there is no law against Charlotte residents joining and placing bets through an offshore betting site that is licensed and regulated outside of the United States. This is currently the most common method for American residents to place sports wagers.

Best Sportsbooks For Charlotte Residents

Sportsbook
Features
Bonus
Rating
Bet Now
1
  • Built for American bettors
  • Wide variety of competitive betting lines
  • Easy to navigate betting platform
50% up to $250
2
  • Accepts players worldwide
  • Competitive betting lines
  • Fast & easy deposits and withdrawals (including Bitcoin)
50% up to $1000

Bovada and BetOnline are the two most popular and trusted offshore betting sites currently accepting American players.

Bovada is our top rated betting site for Charlotte residents. Bovada is entirely focused on the United States betting market. This shows through in their bet offerings, promotions and customer service, which are all catered towards Americans.

Bovada is the most popular online sportsbook serving American players. Check out our full review here.

Legal Offline Sports Betting near Charlotte

Catawba Two Kings Casino, a tribal casino 40 minutes west of Charlotte, began taking sports bets in September of 2022. All wagers must be placed on location at the tribal casino.

Pro Sports Teams in Charlotte

Charlotte is home to three sports teams from the big five North American professional sports leagues. The Carolina Panthers of the NFL, the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA, and Charlotte FC of the MLS.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers joined the NFL for the 1995 season competing in the NFC West from 1995 to 2001, and currently playing in the NFC South. The team advanced to the Super Bowl twice, including recently in 2015, but they weren’t able to win the big game on either occasion.

Charlotte Hornets

The original Charlotte Hornets participated in the NBA from 1988 to 2002 before moving to New Orleans. Charlotte was only without an NBA team for two seasons, with the Charlotte Bobcats joining the NBA in 2004. This new rendition of an Charlotte NBA team was then able to rebrand back to the Hornets in 2014, bringing with it the NBA history of the original Charlotte Hornets franchise.

Charlotte has not had much success in the NBA with only 10 playoff appearances in 32 years in the league, and having never advanced past the second round. The second coming of the Charlotte NBA franchise has actually never won a playoff round in 18 seasons.

Charlotte FC

Charlotte FC was founded in December of 2019 and joined Major League Soccer for the 2022 MLS season. Charlotte FC played their inaugural home game on March 5th, 2022 in front of an MLS record crowd of 74,479 fans. Charlotte finished the season with a 13-8-3 record, missing the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.