When Adam Greenblatt grew up in South Africa, he closely followed a lanky shooting guard from the United States who led North Carolina to an iconic victory in the 1982 NCAA men’s basketball national championship.
Greenblatt, the chief executive officer of BetMGM, watched from afar, thousands of miles away, as Michael Jordan lifted the Tar Heels to a win over Georgetown on a clutch jumper from the left wing. Several future NBA stars took the court that night, including Jordan’s teammates James Worthy and Sam Perkins, as well as Patrick Ewing and Eric “Sleepy” Floyd for Georgetown. On Monday, when North Carolina goes live with mobile sports betting, BetMGM will make its debut in the Tar Heel State.
Given Greenblatt’s affinity for Jordan, the state will take on added importance.
“The University of North Carolina has a special place in my heart because it was the only U.S. school that I knew existed when I was living in Cape Town — Michael Jordan was my childhood idol,” Greenblatt told Sports Handle at last week’s iGaming Next conference. “We are bringing one of the leading apps in the country to the state.”
A basketball-crazed state 3v5y6w
More than almost any state nationwide, North Carolina is a hotbed for college basketball. The Tar Heel State features four major Division I programs within a radius of 120 miles. North Carolina ranks third among D1 universities in national titles with six, one more than archrival Duke. N.C. State, the third ACC school in the Research Triangle, won the 1983 national championship with a win over Houston, one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history.
After finishing as a runner-up to Kansas in the 2022 national championship game, North Carolina opened last season as the preseason No. 1 in the nation. But the Tar Heels failed to live up to the expectations, missing the NCAA tournament entirely.
With center Armando Bacot back for his fifth year, North Carolina opened the 2023-24 season with odds of 25/1 at BetMGM to cut down the nets in Glendale, Ariz. The Tar Heels have outperformed expectations and enter this week at 18/1, seventh-best in the nation. Bacot has dominated the glass, while R.J. Davis has emerged as one of the most potent guards in the country.
North Carolina also opened the season with odds of +375 to win the ACC regular season, behind heavily favored Duke. The Tar Heels won the league outright on Saturday night with an 84-79 victory over the Blue Devils in Durham.
Thousands of pre-s 5t2c42
The state is launching mobile sports wagering at an auspicious time for college hoops bettors. The ACC tournament begins on Tuesday with three games, including a matchup between No. 10 seed N.C. State and No. 15 Louisville.
Top seed North Carolina and second-seed Duke both received byes to Thursday’s quarterfinals. Ahead of Monday’s launch, BetMGM received thousands of s last week, Greenblatt confirmed.
“We’re looking to parlay all of the Super Bowl players we acquired through that Super Bowl period into March Madness,” he said. “We’re looking to capitalize on that.”
As with other operators, BetMGM is cognizant of a push from some states to ban prop betting on college athletes amid athlete safety concerns. Sports wagering remains illegal in North Carolina for players under 21. The regulations create some awkwardness on campuses throughout the state where teenagers comprise a considerable percentage of the student population.
“We are one of the leaders in the world of responsible gambling,” Greenblatt said, adding that the venture invests heavily in it externally through a partnership with Epic Risk Management. “The only way to ensure sustainability in our sector is to make sure the whole sector is aboard.”
BetMGM’s technology allows the venture to tailor its offerings per state, depending on various regulations. For the moment, North Carolina will allow props on college athletes. Over the last several weeks, Maryland have banned the props in their respective states.
Beyond March Madness 5c2v
The NCAA tournament leads into The Masters, the first golf major of the year. By June, North Carolina’s Pinehurst Resort will host the U.S. Open’s men’s national championship in golf for the fourth time. Pinehurst No. 2, the site of this year’s tournament, is widely viewed as one of the most prestigious public courses in the nation.
The NHL are in good shape to qualify for the postseason. As of Monday, the Hurricane ranked second in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind the Rangers.
The #Canes came out hot and never took their foot off the gas earning their third win in four days with a 7-2 win over the Flames 👊
Recap » https://t.co/aHSdmB0OBa pic.twitter.com/8TqlbKh3dn
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 11, 2024
The launch in North Carolina also comes as more “Bible Belt,” states consider measures to legalize sports betting. Two states — Alabama and Mississippi has had sports betting on a retail basis, but may add mobile in the coming years.
“We think the South represents a really exciting and interesting growth opportunity,” Greenblatt said.
A ‘competition problem’ 4p464o
Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he was famously cut from the varsity basketball team as a sophomore. Deemed too short at 5-foot-11, Jordan gained four inches the following summer and trained assiduously to make the varsity team. The slight served as the foundation for Jordan’s dogged work ethic.
In a 2000 series crafted by ESPN, the network selected Jordan as the top North American athlete of the 20th Century, ahead of Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali. Jordan garnered controversy for his gambling habits throughout his playing career. At one point, Jordan reportedly rang up $1.3 million in golf debts, an amount that was negotiated down to $300,000 and eventually paid off, according to author David Roth.
During the 1993 NBA Playoffs, Jordan was spotted gambling in an Atlantic City casino in the wee hours of the morning before a Bulls loss to the Knicks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Today, Jordan has an estimated net worth of around $3 billion, according to Forbes.
Jordan’s father James downplayed the controversy, telling the Chicago Tribune: “Losing $10,000 to him would be like me losing 10 cents. … If he was playing for matchsticks or straws, he’d have the same level of competition.”
“He certainly doesn’t have a gambling problem. He wouldn’t be doing that if he couldn’t afford it. He isn’t that stupid. He has a competition problem.”
A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player, Jordan became a part-owner and head of basketball operations for the Hornets (then the Bobcats) in 2006. Jordan gained a controlling interest in 2010, but sold his majority stake last year.
