North Carolina has moved one step closer to legal online sports betting after the Senate voted in favor of a House Bill that would allow online sportsbooks to launch in the state.
HB 347 was passed by a vote of 38-11 in the Senate on its second reading following earlier approval by three Senate committees. The Senate must now vote one more time today to pass the bill officially with supporters of the legislation feeling that today’s vote will be nothing more than a formality.
Following the vote, the bill must then return to the House where representatives must approve the changes made to the bill by the Senate.
However, the amended bill could face some opposition in the House as it has changed significantly since it was first passed. House Speaker Tim Moore said he would prefer that sports wagering be combined with other proposed gaming expansions including casinos and video lottery terminals.
“Right now the plan is probably that we don’t concur, but we’re going to talk through it.”
Senate leader Phil Berger voted in favor of the sports betting bill and would rather deal with things on a one-by-one basis.
“Let’s go ahead and get this one. If there are other gaming issues, let’s deal with them separately.”
The bill’s main sponsor in the House sponsor of the sports gambling bill in the House Rep. Jason Saine said of the idea of combining bills:
“The supposed ‘proposal’ has not been run by me or the other bill sponsors. I don’t deal that way, and our plan is to concur with sports betting only. I support the other efforts but they will need another vehicle.”
If approved once again by the House, the bill will then go to the desk of Governor Roy Cooper to be signed into law. Mobile sports betting in North Carolina is not expected to launch until 2024 at the earliest with an effective date of January 8th written into the legislation.
An experienced iGaming commentator and analyst based in New York City - Jenny reports on regulation and gambling industry news and events.