North Carolina lawmakers have given their final approval to mobile and retail sports betting legislation paving the way for an industry launch in early 2024.
On Wednesday, the House gave its second approval to amendments made by the Senate to HB 347. The bill allows betting from mobile devices on horse racing, professional, college, and Olympic sports as well as esports.
According to the legislation’s last amendments, 12 mobile sports betting operators can apply for five-year licenses at an initial fee of $1 million. All mobile sports betting will be subject to 18% tax on gross gaming revenue.
Retail sports betting expansion
The bill will also allow for an expansion to the retail sports betting industry in the state. At present, sports betting is only allowed at North Carolina’s three tribal casinos. Once the bill is signed into law, eight further venues will be permitted to have permanent or temporary sportsbooks on their property.
The retail venues are:
- PNC Arena, Raleigh
- WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary
- Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
- Spectrum Center, Charlotte
- Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord
- North Wilkesboro Speedway, Greensboro
- Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro
- Quail Hollow Country Club, Charlotte
The bill now heads to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk to be signed into law. Cooper has previously expressed his support for online sports betting and there are no signs that his stance has changed. This means that mobile sports betting in North Carolina could begin as soon as January 8th 2024. However, the North Carolina Education Lottery which will regulate the industry will have one year from the date that the legislation is signed into law before it must go live with sports betting.
Speaking to local news Van Denton, communications director for the lottery said:
“We’re going to work as fast as we can to get it up and running.”
Ciaran has been working within the Gambling Industry as a deep analyst since 2019. His deep knowledge and understanding of all the gambling regulations, and processes makes him a true asset, and an always valuable point of view for Gambling Industry News, allowing us to cover every topics from a brand new perspective.