The start of the 2025 NFL season contributed to a 19.2% surge in sports bets to $686.1 million in September, the N.C. Lottery Commission reported Wednesday.

September set — by just more than $1.1 million — the monthly record for sports wagering since it became available in North Carolina on March 11, 2024.

The previous record was the $685 million wagered during March 2025 on NCAA men's and women's basketball tournament games.

The September numbers are the first apples-to-apples comparison of betting interest in a full month of NFL and college football since sports wagering debuted in N.C. on March 11, 2024.

The commission tracks sports wagering based on the state fiscal year of July 1 to June 30. It discloses the monthly report without comment.

Account holders bet $654.1 million durin

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