NC legislator admits to delays in sports betting launch. What's next in the process?
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — North Carolina sports betting officials met Thursday to further discuss legalization in the state, but there is still no formal start date for interactive sports wagering to begin.
The meeting, which happened virtually, was mainly set to discuss certain policies and rules for operators to follow statewide, ranging from geolocation to reporting and making sure the applications and services work.
State Rep. Jason Saine, a Republican who serves Lincoln County, was a main sponsor of the sports betting legislation. He spoke with Queen City News on Thursday about the progress on sports betting becoming legalized and noted that there have been delays.
Saine partially blamed the delays on a long legislative session but noted an impatience on the part of constituents to get sports betting started in the state.
“I get those calls from people, (to) my office, that want to place their bets, and I understand that,” he said. “Quite frankly, if it was easy, everybody would be doing it. It does take some time. For those that want it, they wanted it yesterday, and it’s not here today.”
The window for legalization starts this coming Monday, Jan. 8, though state officials said it will not actually launch that early.
The next target date is March 17, which is Selection Sunday for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Lawmakers want sports betting to be underway by then to take advantage of the large economic potential associated with college basketball betting in the state.
But with the “madness” roughly two months away, there is no formal announcement, expectation of announcement, or any other idea of when or how sports betting will start.
“They are working towards that goal,” said Saine.
Officials noted that interactive sports wagering through apps and other services will be part of the initial rollout of sports betting in North Carolina, with more physical locations for sports betting coming at a later time.
