North Carolina lawmakers introduced a sports betting authorization bill last week that would permit the state’s two casinos to take wagers. SB 154 doesn’t currently provide many other key details, such as tax rates or other key regulatory provisions but it does limit bets to within the physical casinos, which would dramatically limit the scope and revenue potential for sports betting revenue.
The two facilities, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel, are both in the rural western portion of North Carolina, more than a three-hour drive from the state’s major population centers, including Charlotte, the Triad and the Triangle.
Still, even this small move to allow sports betting in person at two comparatively remote facilities is a major step forward for a jurisdiction long opposed to most forms of gaming. The gambling bill is among more than 100 pieces of legislation under consideration by the committee, and there’s no timeline on when, or even if, it will be discussed, though it does include three SB 154 co-sponsors who could push the bill to the forefront of its agenda.
Finally, it could make North Carolina one of the first states in the region to take a legal wager.
