5 tips from a sports betting pro
Online sports betting is now legal in N.C.; If you choose to do it, start small, bet what you know and realize most people don't win big
The following article appeared in the March 11, 2024, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Let the betting on games begin: Online sports wagering starts Monday, March 11; 5 tips
Online sports betting in North Carolina starts Monday, March 11, with eight betting platforms going live and taking wagers.
It’s all being supervised by the N.C. State Lottery Commission, after the General Assembly passed a law last year legalizing the practice.
For some pro tips, we turned to Steve Bittenbender, a writer with BetCarolina.com, which has been closely following sports betting in North Carolina.
Responses were edited for clarity and length:
◼️ How to select a betting platform: “These are fairly alike. You’ll see a slightly different user interface. Some will promote their same-game parlays [linked bets] or other parley bets and pre-made parlays, too. I’m not much of a parlay guy myself. I do play them from time to time, but parlays, especially as you get into parlays with a big number of legs, that becomes pretty much a lottery ticket.”
◼️ Use multiple platforms. “I would look to sign up for a couple of different sportsbooks. If there’s a game I’m interested in, before the game, I’ll check the odds, and I’ll go to the sportsbook that has the best odds. If someone’s looking to put up $100 or $200, you can really maximize that by splitting it up and going with a couple of different sportsbooks and taking advantage of multiple offers.”
◼️ Start with what you know. “If you’re a basketball fan, look to get in with basketball. Whether or not you want to bet on your own team or not, that’s your personal choice. There are pros and cons of that. If you’re someone who lives and dies with every Tar Heel game or every Blue Devil game or every Wolfpack game, you might want to stay away from betting on your team. If a loss isn’t the end of the world, different story.”
◼️ Use good money management. “If you have, say, $100 in an account, don’t look to bet $15 or $20 on a game. Even if you think it’s a big game, and you think that side is going to win, limit yourself to probably about $5 of bets, or 5%, of your account balance on any particular bet. That will help keep you in the game longer.”
◼️ Keep in mind that most people don’t win big. “People see the tweets that the sportsbooks put out, where someone had a $1 bet and turned it into $10,000 or whatever. You don’t see how many others missed out. This is not something where people are going to get rich quick. It’s a way to enjoy the sport. It's a way to enhance your experience watching the sport. And hopefully, it’s a way for you to make a little bit of money.”
—Tony Mecia
Related Ledger article:
“N.C. gamblers lured with free sports bets” (March 4)
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman