North Carolina Sports Betting Bill Still Passes in the NC House Commerce Committee

A bill to legalize North Carolina sports betting has gained momentum once again. This bill for the legalization of North Carolina mobile sports betting has shown resilience. This past Thursday, the bill, SB 688, passed the North Carolina House Commerce Committee by a vote of 12-4.

Now, the North Carolina sports wagering bill will make its way to the House Judiciary Committee. A sponsor of a North Carolina House sports betting bill, Representative Jason Saine, is set to guide the bill from the Senate through the chamber.

Representative Saine has been a key figure when it came to negotiating the North Carolina state budget. The state budget for the year saw sports betting pushed to the backburner.

Saine had told the Commerce Committee that he was hoping to have the sports betting bill marinate a bit. This is because North Carolina sports betting can be a bit of a polarizing issue. Back in August, the North Carolina state Senate passed SB 688. But, when the bill passed to the House, it ran into a number of issues that stalled it.

Now, the legislature is being brought back for the fall session as a result. At this moment, the state House is still centered on the issue of redistricting. But, if the bill is not pushed through before the redistricting decision has wrapped, it faces the possibility of being delayed until next year.

Representative Saine is confident that the issue will be brought back up, even in the event that the bill fails. He feels it will come back up next session or the session after in that case.

The bill faces opposition from staunch anti-gambling legislators who showed their views during the committee meeting. At this time, tribal casinos in the state of North Carolina are already able to operate retail sportsbooks. This includes a Caesars Sportsbook operated at two Harrah’s Casinos that are owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Native Americans.

The bill was introduced by two state Senators, Paul Lowe and Jim Perry back in April. SB 688 would create ten to twelve mobile sports betting licenses. And, it would impose a tax rate of 8% on sports betting revenue.

Plus, the bill also would allow professional sports organizations in North Carolina to set up sports betting lounges. This would include the venues for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, as well as the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Representative Saine has pointed out the need for legal North Carolina mobile sports betting. At this time, around 2 million residents are already betting illegally and the state is missing out on that revenue. Because legal betting falls into a gray area in the state, it would make a lot of sense to legalize the practice and receive the tax boon.

Written by Allie Nelson, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert. You can read more about our author's expertise here.