CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As talks brew about state lawmakers revisiting legalizing online sports betting, it’s important to understand how it works if you want to get in on the action, as in-person betting is currently legal in North Carolina.
What You Need To Know
In-person sports betting is legal in North Carolina, but online betting is not
Sports betting sites will entice you with a variety of bets you can place throughout games, so set limits for yourself
Research sports betting locations and websites, before spending your money
Better Business Bureau CEO and President Tom Bartholomy recommends doing your research first if you’re in a state where online betting is legal.
“If you just do a Google search, ‘I want to place a bet on the Super Bowl, I want to place a bet on this NBA game,’ then you’re literally going to hundreds, maybe thousands of results of different websites that you can go to to place those bets,” he said. “But that’s where the fun begins for the scammers, but not so much for the betters.”
He suggests looking up the site or betting location on the BBB’s website before typing in your credit card information.
Even legitimate sites will lure you into placing multiple bets on one game, that’s why Bartholomy says set limits for yourself.
“You can make a bet on who’s going to score first, and another bet on the halftime score, and another bet,” Bartholomy said. “Once you start engaging with those, and you get one win, bet then three losses, and another win and three more losses; all of a sudden, your credit card is maxed out, then they’ve got you hooked.”
Bartholomy says keep these things in mind when betting:
- Get to know sports betting language
- Learn sports stats, so you can take calculated risks
- Avoid high-risk betting
- Watch out for scam
