Sports wagering and horse racing bill in North Carolina

It looks likely the North Carolina General Assembly will legalize betting on sports in the state. The North Carolina House voted 68-41 Tuesday to pass a bill making sports betting and horse racing legal.

What You Need To Know

• The North Carolina House approved a bill to legalize betting on sports in the state. Legislators will need to vote one more time before the bill goes to the governor 


• The state House and Senate already voted for the bill, giving it bipartisan support in both chambers. The Senate added horse racing to the legislation and sent it back to the House for final approval


• The bill makes it legal for people to bet on professional, collegiate and amateur sports in North Carolina, with the exception of youth sports


• Sports wagering would be legal one year after the bill gets final approval from the legislature and the governor

The House will still need to vote on the bill one more time, likely on Wednesday. That final vote is mostly procedural. The bill could go to the governor’s desk this week.

The legislation has bipartisan support in both chambers of the General Assembly. It passed the Senate June 1 with a vote of 37-11.

Legislators supporting the bill say sports betting is already happening in North Carolina, and this bill is a way to regulate and tax the wagers. 

Opposition to expanding gambling in North Carolina has also been bipartisan. Those opposed to the bill voiced moral and religious reasons to vote against it. 

The House already passed the bill legalizing sports wagering in March. The legislation had to go back to the House for final approval after the Senate added in new provisions that legalized horse racing in North Carolina. 

Currently, betting on sports is only legal on tribal lands in North Carolina. A 2018 decision from the Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports betting. More than two dozen states have legalized sports betting since that ruling.

What’s in the bill?

The legislation makes it legal to place bets on all professional, collegiate and amateur sports (except youth sports) in North Carolina. People would be able to place bets online and at brick-and-mortar sportsbooks.

The North Carolina Lottery Commission will be tasked with overseeing sports wagering and horse racing. The bill allows for 10 to 12 companies to set up in the state to offer the bets. 

Physical sportsbooks, where people can go to place wagers in person, would only be allowed near professional sporting venues, like PNC Arena in Raleigh or the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

The Senate version of the bill authorized bets on horse racing in North Carolina, both in person and televised races. 

General Assembly staff estimate revenue from sports wagering could hit $1 billion after five years. Through taxes and fees, the state is estimated to bring in more than $70 million after five years. 

Of the state’s tax revenue, more than $40 million would go to the general fund. The rest of the money would go to supporting youth sports in North Carolina, athletics programs at some UNC system schools and to help programs for gambling addiction. 

The bill also establishes a new North Carolina Major Events, Games and Attractions Fund, which will be tasked with attracting big events, like music festivals and political conventions.

If the bill becomes law, gambling on sports and horse races would be legal after one year, giving the Lottery Commission time to get things set up.