Legal Status
Sports betting is legal in the state of North Carolina, but only at two tribal casinos. Online sports betting is not legal.
Legislative Progress
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed SB 154 into law in July 2019. It allowed two tribal casinos in the western part of the state, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River, to start taking sports bets (the first book did not open until March 2021).
Legislation was introduced in April 2021 in both houses of the legislature. Both were referred to committees. But to have any chance of sports betting becoming legal in 2021, they had to cross chambers by May 13.
The last listed action for either bill has them still in committee.
Should either bill eventually become law, online sports betting will become legal. The bills allow for 10 to 12 online/mobile licenses, but not for any new casinos.
Casino Participation
Sports betting is currently legal at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. Should either of the current bills under review by committee get passed, there has been no indication of whether online licenses will have to be tethered to a casino.
However, the new bills do not call for an expansion of retail sports betting, just the addition of online betting to the market.
Should the state decide to open betting to all casinos, there are currently six in North Carolina.
Role of the Lottery
North Carolina does have a lottery, but it is currently not involved with the sports betting industry in-state. Should SB 688 get passed and become law, it would call for the NC Educational Lottery Commission to be in charge of online sports betting in North Carolina.
Professional Sports Team Involvement
Professional sports teams are not involved with the sports betting industry in-state. A few former athletes have spoken out in favor of legalized betting, but the involvement from the sports world ends there.
But if the current bill comes to pass, stadiums will be authorized to create lounges that will cater to fans wishing to place bets on their mobile devices.
Licensing
Only Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino are legally licensed to take sports bets in North Carolina. Should Senate Bill 688 pass, the NC Educational Lottery Commission will be in charge of authorizing 10-12 online licenses.
There has been no indication as to who would be allowed to apply for a license. But since sports teams will be authorized to create “betting lounges” at their stadiums, it does not sound like professional sports teams will be in the mix for a license.
Annual license fees and associated calculation of tax on sportsbook revenue are still to be determined.
Expected Live Date
With the Senate Bill and House Bill not making it out of committee in time, there is no reason to think online sports betting or an expansion of any kind will happen anytime soon. With the legislative session ending in July, it does not look good for 2021.
It is looking like online sports betting may launch, at the earliest, in the latter half of 2022.
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