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Charlie & Debbie

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Online Sports Betting Becoming A North Carolina Reality

By Charlie & Debbie April 3rd

Folks, I’ve got some news for you.  There are two “evils” in the world (for some) that are going to be a part of life in North Carolina.  Eventually, whether you like it or not, marijuana manufacture and distribution will be legal.  And sooner than that, legalized online sports betting will be a thing in the Tar Heel State.  I can almost see my mother’s ultra-conservative head about to explode with those two statements.  Here’s the deal, regardless of how you feel morally (and I get it), the tax revenue of legalizing these two industries alone should make you want to be on the right side of history here.

Last week House Bill 347 passed in the North Carolina House of Representatives 64-45.  It now heads to the Senate, which has already approved a sports betting bill in 2021.  Further, Governor Roy Cooper has already said he will sign it.  And he should.  Legal sports betting could generate $28.6 million in the first 18 months.  WOW!  Here’s what the bill entails per Axios Charlotte:

  • It allows betting on college sports, the Olympics, e-sports and pro sports for people 21 and older.
  • It forbids betting on youth sports, high school sports and horse racing.
  • The state will authorize 10-12 “interactive sports wagering operators” (sportsbooks) and tax them 14%.
  • That money would go to athletic departments at public colleges and a new fund to attract major sporting events to the state, per WRAL.
  • If signed into law, the measure would take effect Jan. 8, 2024 — the day of the College Football National Championship game.

Rep. Jason Saine, a Lincoln County Republican and lead sponsor of the bill, called sports betting “a form of entertainment, something that consenting adults with their own money should have the right to do,” as ABC 11 in Raleigh reported.

He’s right.

North Carolina Could Be In Line To Legalize Sports Betting In 2022

It’s been four years since the Supreme Court cleared the way for legal sports betting across the United States. Could North Carolina be one of the next states to legalize sports betting? Several states including NC, are in the process of trying to legalize it. Some have already taken that action and are waiting to implement sports betting.

On Thursday, Kansas became the 31st state to take that step when Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill that legalized sports betting in Kansas. Betting could begin as soon as September, just in time for football season. The state hopes to use the money raised will be used to hopefully lure professional teams to Kansas. For one, the Kansas City Chiefs, who currently play their home games across the border in Missouri. They also hope to take advantage of betters in Missouri as the state failed to advance sports betting legislation again this year.

The Supreme Court ruling in the case of Murphy vs. NCAA, handed down on May 14, 2018, overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which had prohibited legal sports betting throughout most of the United States starting in 1992.

Once the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was overturned in 2018, New Jersey was the first to take action. Other states, including Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, soon followed. But almost 5 years later North Carolina hasn’t jumped the gun. That could be poised to change in the coming months, however.

Bookies.com created “hypothetical odds” on when bettors in each of the remaining states will be able to make legal online wagers. Here were their results:

  • Kansas

    Yes: -9000

    No: +9000

    It’s not if it’s when at this point for Kansas. With the Governor signing the bill, now we just wait for the inevitable day residents can make their first bets.

  • Ohio

    Yes: -550

    No: +300

    Sports betting was actually approved and signed into law at the end of 2021. Though there have been delays in setting up the betting infrastructure which means the betting isn’t happening just yet. It’s worth noting that the law dictates that betting must begin by Jan.1, 2023.

  • Maryland

    Yes: +100

    No: -150

    You actually can place in-person wagers in Maryland at brick-and-mortar sites. These include at several casinos. Online sports betting in Maryland won’t arrive until after the start of the NFL season. 

  • North Carolina

    Yes: +135

    No: -110

    Finally, the one you’ve been waiting for. North Carolina. You may already know that in-person sports betting is legal inside casinos on tribal lands in North Carolina. The first step to legalizing it statewide was in a bill passed by the state Senate in April. The North Carolina sports betting bill is expected to also pass in the house when its session resumes on May 18..

  • Minnesota

    Yes: +225

    No: -300

    While both the Massachusetts House and Senate have passed bills legalizing sports betting, they have yet to come to terms on exactly how that will look. There are still a multitude of differences that need to be resolved before they will be placing any bets.

  • Maine

    Yes: +900

    No: –1850

    The state’s House just approved a bill to legalize both in-person and mobile sports betting. However, major differences remain between the House bill and the current proposal that’s in the state Senate. With the legislature’s summer break fast approaching a compromised bill seems unlikely before then.

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