
By: Zack Hill
Sports gambling in North Carolina is a step away from becoming reality after the N.C. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to approve a bill legalizing it Wednesday.
The bill will now move to Governor Roy Cooper’s desk. He’s expected to sign the measure as he’s previously stated support for legalized sports gambling and the bill.
Bettors would able to place wagers on mobile devices and at around 10 in-person venues across the state. And it could begin as soon as January 2024 although the exact timeline for implementation is yet to be established.
House Bill 347 allows betting from mobile devices on professional and collegiate sports. It also includes horse racing and Olympic sports. The bill had recently been altered slightly and then approved by the Senate, so it seems all but certain at this point that sports gambling is coming to the state.
Proponents say the additional tax revenue will be a boon to N.C.’s coffers.
Opponents of the bill have argued it will cause more harm to lower income people and families, as they are likely to be those most likely to try and take a smaller amount of money and turn it into a much larger sum.
“The marginal increase in revenue the state would see from sports betting is nowhere equal to the harm online gambling will bring to low-wealth, marginalized communities,” the N.C. Justice Center said in a press release.
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