Sports bars and restaurants face new business opportunities with legal betting

North Carolina's countdown to legal online sports betting is nearing its end, with popular apps like DraftKings and FanDuel already reaching out to bars and restaurants.

This means placing bets will soon be as easy as tapping your phone, creating new opportunities for both gambling platforms and local businesses.

While some sports bars in the Triangle may not actively promote sports betting, the influx of legal online options will likely lead to a rise in advertisements across many businesses within the region.

"I always wanted to just try my hand see how I would do at betting," Jeffrey Besemann said.

Sports fans are preparing for the books to hit the Triangle.

"I'm going through the apps, and I'm looking, and I don't understand it all quite yet," Besemann said.

And sports bars may be the ones to get things started.

"We've had a couple of companies reach out to me," David Harris said. "They want to try to come in here and sell the app."

Sports betting companies have approached Sammy's Tap and Grill, owned by David Harris, seeking their help in promoting their apps. In exchange, Sammy's would receive a share of the profits generated from the promotion.

"So somebody signs up and they start gambling on that, any money that they would use to gamble, they would send me a small percent or something of the money," Harris said.

That could go a long way for sports bars.

"Restaurants have a tough business. You want to scrounge to find income everywhere you can get it," Gus Gusler said.

Players' Retreat, owned by Gus Gusler, has also received offers from sports betting companies.

However, Gusler has opted to decline their proposals for promotion.

"I'm not opposed to gambling; it's just that we're not your normal sports bar," Gusler said. "There are 20 other sports bars in the triangle; if I were them, I would do it in a heartbeat."

As North Carolina enters a new era of legalized sports betting, bars and restaurants are still navigating its implications and determining how it will impact their businesses.

Our investigative sports reporter will be sharing exactly what you can bet on starting Friday at noon.