CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's been a full week since sports betting went into effect in North Carolina, and many are placing bets.
There are just a few rules to play: You have to be at least 21, and you must be physically located in North Carolina.
Because Charlotte is so close to the border with South Carolina, WCNC Charlotte's Verify team wanted to put these apps to the test and see how well they enforce the geographic boundaries, to help us understand how these apps work.
SOURCES:
WHAT WE FOUND:
GeoComply works with seven of the eight live sportsbook apps in North Carolina.
"We provide the necessary geolocation checks to ensure that a gamer is in a legal location, and they have to do that because of state and federal laws," Pappas said.
He said to get the most accurate location on bettors, GeoComply uses several different data sources like WiFi, cell towers, GPS, and IP addresses.
"We like to pride ourselves as a spoof-proof solution," Pappas said.
So, is it really spoof proof? WCNC Charlotte's Verify team got in the car and headed to the South Carolina border.
FanDuel and DraftKings, the two WCNC Charlotte tested, didn't allow us to bet; instead, a banner popped up saying we were not in a permitted area.
Just a few steps over the North Carolina state line, the same message popped up. It allowed us to place a bet about a half mile into North Carolina.
"There is probably a buffer zone in North Carolina, and as the market develops, those buffers will become a little less," Pappas said.
According to Pappas GeoComply also does a series of checks to make sure people are not using tools to fake their location while betting.
WCNC Charlotte's testing indicates these apps do appear to prevent out-of-state bets, as well as some bets that are barely within state lines.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
VERIFY is dedicated to helping the public distinguish between true and false information. The VERIFY team, with help from questions submitted by the audience, tracks the spread of stories or claims that need clarification or correction. Have something you want VERIFIED? Text us at 704-329-3600 or visit VERIFY.
WCNC Charlotte's Verify series is all about trying to make a difference in the Carolinas by making sure the community has the correct information. WCNC Charlotte outlines concisely what we know and what we don't know. Sometimes the answer can be surprising. Watch previous stories where we verify social media claims in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.