NORTH CAROLINA, USA — It’s easy to get caught up in the boom from sports betting.
We just learned Friday that North Carolina made nearly $20 million off of it last month.
North Carolina bettors lost more than $110 million last month.
WFMY News 2's Giselle Thomas got a reaction as sports gambling crosses the two-month mark in North Carolina.
Just over $648 million —that's how much North Carolinians spent on sports betting last month.
About 17% of those bets went to a losing cause. Some people say money lost is nothing compared to the money spent.
“It sounds like people are winning more than they're losing overall, so that's good,” sports fan Wesley Scruggs said.
“Honestly, that's insane even to conceptualize how much people are able to give to that,” Rose Draeger, bartender at Jake’s Pub, said.
“I wish they had my P.O. Box number so they can bet on that,” bar patron Ben Edwards added.
“That's a crazy high number,” Musician Dave Moran exclaimed.
For some, sports betting is a fun game on the side.
"I'm a casual sports bettor. I gamble and put $20-$25 here or there on a game,” Scruggs said.
For others, sports betting is not their cup of tea.
“I don't enjoy gambling unless I can have a hand in it. So, blackjack and poker I am involved in it. I have some sort of effect on the outcome. Sports betting I have zero effect on the outcome,” Moran added.
The state lottery commission said thousands of people bet and won over $538 million in the month of April. Some people said they hope it could lead to more adult gaming opportunities.
“Hopefully, sports betting could lead to more money coming into the state. Hopefully, we can get a casino here and stuff like that,” Scruggs added.
“I think it shows a big response to how many people do like to bet and how much the community would put into that if they were to legalize more options,” Draeger said.
Currently, we have eight licensed sports wagering operators in North Carolina, who earned just over $105 million in revenue last month.
All that money does not go straight to operators; the state will collect an 18% tax on it.