(AsiaGameHub) – By: Christian Pierce
North Carolina sportsbooks had a strong revenue month in May, despite a dip in total betting activity from the same month last year. The seven online sportsbooks in the state accepted $578.1 million in wagers, down 2.8% from May 2025. However, gross revenue reached $64.3 million, only 1.4% below the same month last year.
The handle, or total amount of wagers, told a weaker story. May produced the lowest monthly betting total since August 2025, as the market moved through its first full month without college basketball. Even so, a double-digit win rate helped operators keep revenue high. North Carolina sportsbooks posted an 11.1% hold in May, trailing the 11.6% hold from May 2025 but matching April for the second-best win rate of 2026 so far. The state has now recorded 10 straight months with a double-digit hold.
Bettors won back $510.4 million, the lowest payout total in nine months. Operators also reported $3.5 million in canceled or voided bets and spent $16.9 million on promotional wagers, down 6% from April. Sports helped fill the calendar. The Carolina Hurricanes run to the Stanley Cup Final gave local bettors a clear May storyline, while the NBA playoffs and MLB also carried betting interest. The Vegas Golden Knights led that Stanley Cup Final series 2-1 before Game 4.
FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Fanatics, Caesars, theScore Bet and bet365 sent $11.6 million in taxes to North Carolina for May. The state applies an 18% tax rate to sportsbook revenue, but lawmakers have reportedly agreed to raise that rate to somewhere between 20% and 30%. A 30% rate would have changed the fiscal picture fast. North Carolina would have collected about $221 million by this point in the fiscal year under that level, compared with more than $133 million under the current structure.
Since the start of 2026, sports betting has produced more than $60 million in estimated tax revenue for North Carolina. The fiscal year ends in June, and current tax intake is up 14% year over year. North Carolina launched online sports betting in March 2024, so the 2026 numbers now offer a cleaner view of how the market performs after the first-year launch effect faded.
Author bio: Christian Pierce, chief financial columnist and markets commentator.