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This could be the year North Carolina gets its act together and approves sports betting.
At least that is the take from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
“I think it is about time for us to step up and do it,” Cooper, a Democrat, told the ACC Now podcast.
Where Sports Betting Stands In North Carolina
There are two tribal casinos in the western part of the state that offer sports betting on location. A third tribal casino outside Charlotte has been approved to offer sports betting but has not yet begun operations.
Senate Bill 688 was introduced last year and has been carried over to the 2022 legislative season. It passed in the Senate but never made it to the House floor.
Cooper, a college basketball fan as well as Carolina Hurricanes fan, said the state needs to act so as not to fall behind.
“It’s here whether we like it or not,” he said during the half-hour podcast which was posted this week. “The issue is will North Carolina try to be on the cutting edge for the technology jobs and other employment that it will create and plus be able to get state taxpayers their cut or are we just going to let it happen all around us?
More than half of the states in the country offer sports betting, including North Carolina neighbors Virginia and Tennessee. A report issued in North Carolina last year said the state could receive nearly $350 million in tax revenue from sports betting in its first five years.
Under the terms of the legislation, 8% of gaming revenue would go toward the North Carolina Education Lottery Commission. Cooper indicated he would like to see a higher tax rate.
“I think [there] probably … needs to be more state tax dollars involved in this, a bigger cut for the people,” he said.
The bill would also allow mobile sports betting and calls for offering 10-12 licenses.
Sportsbooks Coming to North Carolina: bet365 app | BetMGM app | Caesars app | DraftKings app | FanDuel app
