Legal Sports Betting Is Coming To North Carolina And Now New Casinos As Well?
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As the saying goes, once that toothpaste is out of the tube, there’s no putting it back. Legalized online sports gambling is coming to North Carolina in January. For the record, I’m for this. The gambling wave is rolling across the country. Why shouldn’t North Carolina benefit from a tax revenue standpoint? Anyway, you just knew that once the gambling door was cracked, it wouldn’t be long before it was kicked wide open.
Leaders in the North Carolina Legislature are discussing measures that would bring as many as four new casinos as well as video gambling machines to the state. Why? Well, as my father always says, “The answer to all your questions as an adult is ‘follow the money’.”
I know, you’re saying, “We already have casinos in North Carolina.” Well, yes and no. The state currently has three casinos, operated by two American Indian tribes. However, that revenue doesn’t go towards the state but to the tribes. North Carolina leaders are concerned about losing revenue to adjacent states’ casinos. Specifically, there’s a non tribal casino opening up in Virginia, just 25 miles from the North Carolina border.
According to WCNC, a study by a gambling research group estimated commercial casinos built in Nash, Anson and Rockingham counties could generate almost $1.7 billion in gross wagering revenue annually and hundreds of millions in taxes.
Will this happen? We won’t have to wait long. The proposals to bring casino gambling and video gambling machines to North Carolina are intertwined with ongoing state budget talks. A budget vote, postponed since early July, is now expected in August.
Gambling In North Carolina? Most People Aren't Addicted
There are certain places you think of when you think of gambling. Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno, but nowhere in North Carolina immediately comes to mind. Yes, we have options like Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and the new Catawba Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain. Both are popular, but gambling in North Carolina doesn’t have a chokehold on people the way it does in other states.
Last year the gambling industry saw record-breaking profits last year despite the COVID-19 pandemic. And it’s not just casinos, sports betting is also extremely popular. (Personally, my teams give me enough stress I don’t need money riding on it too). As the Kentucky Derby is fast approaching where millions of dollars will be bet, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2022’s Most Gambling-Addicted States.
WalletHub compared the 50 states across 20 key metrics to create this report. The data set ranges from the presence of illegal gambling operations to lottery sales per capita to the share of adults with gambling disorders.
Gambling Addiction in North Carolina (1=Most Addicted, 25=Avg.):
- 40th – Casinos per Capita
- 39th – Gaming Machines per Capita
- 15th – Gambling-Related Arrests per Capita
- 4th – iGaming Revenues per Capita
View the full report here
Most Gambling Addicted States According To Wallet Hub:
Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.