In February 2024, Kromah wagered $143,000 on the Boston Celtics to win the NBA Championship at odds of +250. Following the Celtics’ victory, he was due winnings of $500,505, but when he went to collect, he was escorted from the premises by security. 

In a post on threads, Kromah is seen being escorted out of the casino ranting, “When you lose your money, they okay with that, when you win big, they don’t wanna pay you out.”

Harrah’s, which is operated by Caesars Entertainment, eventually paid out the winnings 10 days later, but Kromah was banned for life from entering any Caesars casinos. 

Sports Bettor of the Year “Traumatized” By Treatment

Kromah’s attorney, Ranchor Harris, called the ban the “tipping point,” and is seeking damages for emotional distress, defamation, interference, and unfair trade for his client.

Kromah, who also goes by the names Fort Manny Bets (FMB) and Manny Cortez on social media, commented:

“These folks called the police on me like I stole! All I did was win my Celtics futures bet for $500,000 that they even posted on their Facebook and Instagram. I’m traumatized by this…If I can drop $143k and wait 4 months for it to cash. I can wait 1-4 years on a lawsuit. Internet really think I’m losing sleep over $500,000 lol I’ll get the last laugh ALWAYS”.

Kromah’s Instagram account, fortmannybets, claims he is “sports bettor of the year” and previously stated that he was banned from four sportsbooks. His Instagram account shows a series of bet slips at Hard Rock Bet, which is seemingly one of the sportsbooks that has not banned the gambler. 

Harrah’s And Caesars Facing More Lawsuits

Harrah’s and Caesars are also facing a lawsuit in Philadelphia over claims that Caesars Palace Online, the online branch for the Harrah’s establishment, has a “dangerous, misleading, and illegal” bonus offer. 

The Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) calculated that users would have to gamble up to $375,000 before being able to withdraw any winnings.

The lawsuit states that, “The public is not told that the promotion is designed to snare new customers in a ‘wild chase of action,’ where the bonus is unattainable and therefore impossible to win.”

Caesars Wins Case Against Parlay Bettor

Caesars also faced a lawsuit in Iowa and Indiana after a bettor’s winning parlays were voided. Chicago bettor Thomas McPeek won approximately $800,000 from parlay bets at Caesars properties in Indiana and Iowa.

However, the company voided the bets and returned his $50,000 stake, citing “cross-state coordination” and “structuring” violations. McPeek admitted it was a “calculated attack” and that he had changed his appearance to place multiple small-stake wagers to avoid detection. 

Indiana regulators sided with Caesars, but the case is pending in Iowa. McPeek stated that he is willing to take the case to a civil lawsuit if he does not get a favorable outcome. 

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Republicans from the state Senate released their two-year budget on Monday, calling to increase the tax rate on North Carolina’s eight sportsbooks from 18% to 36%. Senate Bill 257, if approved, would go into effect Oct. 1.

The move is intended to generate additional revenue from the burgeoning sports betting industry. During its first year of operation, the state collected approximately $128 million in tax revenue, outperforming most expectations prior to the March 2024 launch.

North Carolina’s eight active operators are bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN Bet, Fanatics, FanDuel, and Underdog. A maximum of 12 licenses can be issued.

Where the Additional North Carolina Tax Revenue Would Go

Under the current structure, the athletic departments at 13 UNC System schools receive $300,000 from North Carolina sports betting tax revenue and 20% of the remaining proceeds following other distributions. The new budget calls for allocating between $500,000 and $1.5 million based on tiers and splitting the remaining 20% of funds.

Notably, UNC and NC State would be added to the revised distribution list, each receiving 10% of the funds following the issuance of required funds.

There is also a clause mandating that UNC and NC State schedule more games with other schools in the UNC System to bolster in-state rivalries. Lawmakers suggest that by the 2039-40 season, they play at least three regular-season or exhibition basketball games against all four UNC System schools at the Division II level and two in the regular season against Division I schools.

“This is tied to the sports gambling changes,” a Senate Republican spokesperson said via WRAL. “With (NC) State and UNC in at a new ‘power conference athletics’ tier for the sports gambling revenue, it is our intent that they play the other system schools.”

Tax Rate Hikes Becoming a National Trend

North Carolina is far from the first state to seek changes to its sports betting tax.

Ohio hiked its rate from 10% to 20%, and Gov. DeWine was considering raising it again to 40%, while Illinois implemented a sliding scale up to 40%. Kansas, whose current rate of 10% is one of the lowest in the country, is also considering a change.  

Sports betting expansion has slowed since the Tar Heel State launched operations. Thirty-eight states plus Washington, D.C., now allow some form of sports betting, with Missouri on deck for this fall. A few other states, including Hawaii, are in active legislation.

According to the North Carolina State Lottery Commission, North Carolinians placed more than $6.6 billion in bets during the first year of legal sports betting, resulting in approximately $713 million in gross wagering revenue.

A record $685 million was wagered last month, surpassing the previous record handle of $659.3 million in March 2024. Despite that, gross wagering revenue fell 31% from the previous month to $38.1 million. 

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Bettors wagered a record $685 million in March, according to the North Carolina Lottery Commission’s latest report. That broke the previous record handle of $659.3 million in March 2024, the same month the Tar Heel State launched sports betting.

Of the total amount bet, $667.1 million was listed as paid wagering revenue, and the other $17.9 million was classified as promotional revenue.

Altogether, prizes paid to North Carolina sports betting customers was $643.6 million.

Revenue Dips for Operators

Despite that milestone, gross wagering revenue fell to $38.1 million, a 42.7% year-over-year decline from March 2024 and a 31.6% drop from February 2025. That marked the third-lowest amount of any month for the state.

The monthly hold was 5.78%, with the state collecting approximately $6.9 million in tax revenue.

While the state has eight active operators — DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Bet365, Fanatics, Caesars, ESPN Bet, and Underdog — the commission did not release details on how each performed.   

Is Basketball Key to Success?

Last month’s record results coincided with March Madness, a marquee event in the basketball-crazed state. Duke and North Carolina are two of the most renowned men’s basketball programs in the country and have ardent followings. The top-seeded Blue Devils were a consensus favorite to win the tournament before losing in the Final Four to Houston. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels fell in the first round after advancing out of the First Four.

Both schools, as did NC State, had teams in the women’s tournament. All three made the Sweet 16 or deeper.

As a result, it may be no coincidence that the state’s sportsbooks were not as fortuitous as they’d been in the past.

Sports Betting: A Strong Tax Driver in North Carolina

North Carolina was the 38th state to legalize sports betting. In the 12 months since, expansion has slowed throughout the United States of America. Missouri is slated to launch later this year, while a few others are in active legislation.

Among them is Hawaii, which last week passed a bill for sports betting expansion through the state Senate.

In the first year of legalized sports betting, North Carolina earned $128 million in tax revenue. Operators took in more than $6.6 billion in bets over that period, with $5.85 billion won by consumers.

An 18% tax is levied on gross revenue from sports betting, with $2 million in annual proceeds directed to the Department of Health and Human Services for gambling addiction education and treatment programs. Another $1 million goes to youth sports programs, while up to $300,000 is set aside for the athletic departments at the state’s 13 universities.

Chief Regulatory Officer Eric Snider said in the state’s annual betting report: “From the moment work began, the goals stayed the same: to create a program that protects North Carolinians and raises revenue for our state responsibly.”

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Wilna van Wyk

After a disappointing December, the North Carolina State Lottery Commission reported a strong bounceback in sports betting revenue for January 2025.

December 2024 saw the Tar Heel State record the lowest hold of the financial year, with consumer-friendly sporting results leaving operators with just 5.67 percent hold for the month. This article calculates hold using the state’s gross wagering revenue as a percentage of total wagering revenue.

January recovered strongly, however, with hold rebounding to 11.52 percent. This was the primary driver in the seeming ‘recovery’ from the end of last year.

Promotional wagering revenue increased 44.4 percent month-over-month, implying sportsbooks in the state were ramping up advertising spend and giving away more in promotional credit than prior. This is likely affiliated with the lead-up to Super Bowl LIX, one of the United States’ most significant sporting events. 

The stark increase in promotional wagering revenue was also supplemented by a 1.66 percent rise from December to January in ‘paid wagering revenue,’ meaning cash bets placed by state residents. The combination of the two gave a 2.77 percent monthly increase in total wagers, seeing $646.9 million placed in January 2025, up from $629.5 million in December 2024. 

Profit for sportsbook operators in North Carolina primarily came from favorable sporting results, thus achieving the previously outlined hold increase. In December 2024, despite taking nearly $20 million less in total wagers, companies paid out almost $22 million in prizes.

The combination of the two led to just $35.7 million in gross wagering revenue, the second-lowest month in the financial year. However, it was comfortably the worst performing month for operators, as the only month with lower revenue generated was August, which saw approximately $260 million less wagered but just $2 million less in revenue.

As a result of the above, gross wagering revenue recorded a 108.66 percent increase month over month, with operators making $74.5 million in January 2025, bringing the state back in line with more typical performance trends. 

North Carolina: A Sports Betting History

Online sports betting launched in North Carolina in March 2024. The legislation permits eleven professional sports organizations and venues across the Tar Heel state to partner with online sports betting companies to offer mobile wagering.

Conforming to the general trend across the United States, the legal betting age in the Tar Heel State is 21. Rep. Marcia Morey filed H 967 in May 2024 to ban proposition betting on college or amateur sports, but the bill died in the House Committee on Rules, Calendar, and Operations. 

Other notable rules in the state include an 18 percent tax rate on gross wagering revenue and the legality of daily fantasy sports as a betting medium. Currently, there are no plans for online casino expansion in the state.

Written By

Wilna van Wyk

Wilna van Wyk is an online casino enthusiast with over a decade of experience working with some of the world’s biggest gambling affiliates, including Thunderstruck Media and OneTwenty Group. She specializes in gambling sites and games and provides expert knowledge on the online casino industry’s essential fundamentals.

The post North Carolina Sees 108% Surge in Gross Wagering Revenue for January appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The Two Kings Casino Resort, which has been the subject of much debate, has seen the revenue sharing agreement signed by Governor Roy Cooper, with federal approval now sought.

Located in the city of Kings Mountain, Cleveland County, the tribe held a ground breaking ceremony in July 2020 for the venue, with the casino expected to open by summer 2021 and will initially feature approximately 1,300 slot machines and food and beverages outlets, as well as entertainment.

The compact is said to be similar to that of the Cherokee Compact, held by the state alongside the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which will include a fee of $191,000 to offset costs associated with regulated sports betting.

In exchange for the right to offer table games, the state will receive a percentage of the activity’s revenue, with the tribe projecting that this figure could reach $5m-$10m per year.

Furthermore, the venue will also transfer funds to a foundation for the benefit of the Catawba, as well as other state and federally recognised tribes, which will initially begin at $1m per year but could reach $7.5 upon full development. 

“On behalf of the Catawba Nation, I sincerely thank Governor Roy Cooper and his team for their thoughtful collaboration in creating this compact, which is the key step in bringing economic benefits and thousands of jobs from our casino project to the citizens of North Carolina,” said Bill Harris, Catawba chief. 

“I would also like to thank secretary of state Elaine Marshall and attorney general Josh Stein for their review and signoff of the compact. With work on the compact completed, we will advance the project from the site preparation phase to vertical construction of an introductory casino gaming facility to open this fall.” 

The new casino, which will be operated by global hospitality company Delaware North, represents a $273m investment in Cleveland County. Officials state that project construction activity will generate $311m, with total employment of 2,347 from direct, indirect, and induced effect. 

Once operational, the Catawba facility is expected to generate $30m per year of direct economic activity and employ 2,600 workers, as well as creating an additional $77.3m per year in indirect impact and $42.8m in induced impact. 

Scott Neisler, mayor of Kings Mountain, added: “Kings Mountain will become a major economic engine in North Carolina. We look forward to creating thousands of good jobs for our hardworking local people. We thank the Catawba Nation for extending their hand of partnership in making this dream a reality.”

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Legislation S 790 would authorise approximately 16 acres of land in Cleveland County, to be taken into federal trust for a new Catawba Indian Nation reservation, for the sole purpose of operating a casino.

Sponsored by Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Richard Burr and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, the proposed site would encroach upon Cherokee aboriginal territory.

It is said that through moves undertaken S 790 attempts to bypass requirements in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, that states the Department of the Interior must engage in extensive consultations with local, state, and tribal governments for economic, environmental and infrastructure impact assessments.

Furthermore, it would also take away the right of the governor to concur with or oppose the Department of Interior’s recommendation regarding a new casino following the consultation phase, for the first time in history.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians owns two casinos in the Old North State, both of which are operated under Caesars Entertainment’s Harrah’s brand.

Richard Sneed, principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, explained of the currently situation: “We appreciate the support from surrounding counties, and a super-majority of the North Carolina Senate who are concerned with this federal attempt to silence the voices of North Carolina stakeholders, including the Eastern Band.

“We have been proud to partner with North Carolina for decades. As it stands, this bill would create a harmful precedent, the first time Congress has expressly authorised an Indian tribe to acquire land into trust simply for owning and operating an off-reservation casino.

“We encourage the Catawba Indian Nation to go through the same proper process in their home state of South Carolina that we have worked through for decades as partners with our state of North Carolina.”

County governments in the Graham, Haywood, Swain, Jackson and Cherokee regions have also adopted resolutions against the bill, after a bipartisan group of North Carolina General Assembly members opposed an attempt by the Catawba Nation to acquire the same land for an off-reservation casino six years ago.

“The legislation skirts the formal input process that gives state and local governments in North Carolina, and their constituents who live near the proposed casino site, a voice in the process. I encourage the US Senate to reject this unprecedented overreach,” commented North Carolina Senator Jim Davis.

Ron Mau, Jackson County commissioner, added: “It is concerning both North Carolina US Senators have lent their names to a bill that would allow a tribe recognised by South Carolina, to construct a casino in North Carolina, to the detriment of their constituents.”

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The Greenville, North Carolina headquartered firm has soared past the $100m mark in money raised for charity through its series of charitable gaming partners.

The huge sum has gone on to directly benefit those charities utilising Grover Gaming Electronic Charitable Gaming systems in New Hampshire, Kentucky, Ohio, North Dakota and Virginia in the past five years.

Those partner charitable and fraternal organisations represent hundreds of lodges and groups such as the Loyal Order of the Moose, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, and many others.

Kevin Morse, director of market development for Grover Gaming, commented: “Electronic Raffle and Electronic Pull-Tab devices in these jurisdictions really enable these charities to flourish and provide for their core purposes, unlike those in states that do not allow electronic charitable gaming.”

Funds raised by partner firms through charitable gaming is used to benefit the communities they represent, and lessen the burden of those in need by funding family centers, hospitals, retirement homes, schools and other worthwhile causes.

“We are proud that our charitable partners have reached this incredible milestone,” explained Garrett Blackwelder, president of Grover Gaming.

“Seeing firsthand how their contributions benefit places like the Mooseheart Children’s School, the Eagles Diabetes Research Center, and so many others, keeps us committed to providing the most entertaining gaming experiences in the industry.”

Earlier this year Grover Gaming appointed Scott Henneman as its new vice-president of business development and governmental relations.

In the new role Henneman is to be charged with representing the company in its expanding role in electronic lottery and charitable gaming markets internationally, as it strives to deeps its roots in those two verticals, particularly within the US and Canada.

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The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will be permitted to offer wagering on college and professional sporting events and horse racing, pending the approval of Governor Roy Cooper who will have the final say as to whether it becomes enshrined in law.

Currently, it will only applies to the Eastern Band which has the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel.

At just over one page in length, the bill is understandably short on detail. For example there is no mention of mobile wagering, however the tribes are thought to favor terrestrial bets made in person, in-venue.

What has been clarified, however, is that all monies paid by the tribe under the Compact be paid to the Indian Gaming Education Revenue Fund which has been established by law.

The Chief Executive officer of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Richard Sneed, played down the potential for increased revenue from sports betting, saying that it would not be a big money generator for casinos. He added, however, that it would bring a slight increase in receipts and encourage new clientele.

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