The governor in the state of North Carolina has passed a new sports betting bill, making North Carolina the latest county in the USA to legalize sports betting this year. The new bill applies to The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who now offers sports betting services to customers of its two casinos. They are currently the only sports betting operators in the state of North Carolina. Sports betting is now on its list of authorized games made possible by their Class III licensing.
What the New Bill Entails for Affected Casinos
Senate Bill 154, signed by the governor Roy Cooper and sponsored by Senator Jim Davis, affects Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River casino resorts. Both resorts are operated by gaming, hotels and casino corporation, Caesars, whose head offices are in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The bill includes no integrity fee and does not prohibit bettors against betting on specific teams or events. While the bill was still in progress, it was proposed that it ban customers from betting on in- state college sports teams, but this was later taken off the table.
Expected Revenue
Before the passing of the new bill, The Eastern Band of Cherokee gave the state 5% of its gross gaming revenue. With the new law effective, a portion of all revenue collected from sports betting will now be added to the 5%. The state projects that it will receive just under $1 million from both Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River annually.
The entire process starting from the initial proposal to the final passing of the new bill dates back to April when the bill won a vote in the North Carolina Senate by 43-7. Following its success in the Senate, the bill was passed to Governor Roy Cooper who sanctioned the bill and finalized the process.
Shortcomings of the New Bill
The only shortcoming of the new bill is the fact that it does not include a mobile sports betting feature. This limits customers to betting at the casino only, and forfeits the convenience of betting on your mobile device, a convenience enjoyed by many sports bettors in the country as a whole. Some also think that this is a missed opportunity for other streams of revenue. The exclusion of mobile sports betting comes as even more of a surprise given how lucrative mobile wagering is in other gambling states like New Jersey. In New Jersey, 80% of all sports bets are placed via mobile and desktop devices.
