Sports betting revenue in North Carolina saw a big jump in December, even though players only increased their spending slightly compared to last year. New figures from the North Carolina State Lottery Commission show that operators made higher profits because they kept a larger share of the money wagered.

The commission reported that total bets for the month reached 665.9 million dollars. This was just 5.8 percent higher than December 2024 and well below the record 814 million dollars wagered in November 2025. Despite the small rise in player spending, sportsbook earnings grew significantly.

Revenue jumps despite slow handle growth

Out of the total 665.9 million dollars wagered in December, 651.1 million came from regular paid bets. The remaining 14.8 million was from promo wagering, which includes free bets and bonuses.

The commission also reported 3 million dollars in cancelled or voided bets, while players were paid back 581.4 million dollars in winnings during the month. After all this, gross wagering revenue came to 81.5 million dollars. This was more than double the 35.7 million made in December 2024 but 12.3 percent lower than November. The state’s highest monthly revenue is still 105.3 million dollars from April 2024.

This strong revenue pushed the statewide hold to 12.24 percent, which is the portion of total bets that operators keep. Based on this, North Carolina is estimated to have collected about 14.7 million dollars in taxes from sports betting in December.

Six month figures show steady growth

The Lottery Commission does not provide separate numbers for each betting company, but it shared figures for the first six months of the financial year, ending in December. During this time, North Carolina players wagered a total of 3.83 billion dollars on sports, 20.1 percent higher than the same period in 2024.

Gross wagering revenue for the six months reached 396.2 million dollars, up 28.4 percent from last year. The average hold, which is the share of total bets that operators keep as revenue, was 11.63 percent.

Major brands active in the state

Several big betting brands are operating in North Carolina, including FanDuel, DraftKings, Fanatics, ESPN Bet, Bet365 and BetMGM. These companies compete for players across the state, offering a mix of paid bets, promotional offers and mobile betting apps.

The December figures show that while player spending is no longer growing at a fast pace, operator profits can still rise sharply when betting results fall in their favour. This trend will be closely watched in the coming months as the market continues to mature and more data from 2026 becomes available.