The North Carolina Senate has passed a recently proposed bill that would regulate sports betting throughout the state. House Bill 347 passed by a vote of 38 to 11 in the Senate on its second reading.
However, the Senate made several changes to the bill, which would need to be approved by the House before Governor Roy Cooper could sign it into law.
The bill would not take effect until January 8, 2024 and states, "sports wagering shall not be authorized in the state until a date identified by the [Lottery] Commission, which shall occur as soon as practicable and may be no later than twelve months after the date this act becomes law."
Once North Carolina’s regulated sports betting market is in place, the Lottery Commission will be permitted to award up to 12 licenses to operators statewide. Players would then have access to online and mobile betting.
Other stipulations of the bill would pave the way for eight facilities to run sportsbooks, including PNC Arena in Raleigh, WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, Bank of America Stadium and Spectrum Center in Charlotte, Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Wilkesboro Speedway, Sedgefield Country Club and Quail Hollow Country Club.
These destinations would be permitted to partner with one mobile operator. The remaining four licenses would be up for grabs for operators that do not currently have in-state partners.
Since the Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018, online gambling is currently available in more than 35 states.
