RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The General Assembly is on track to pass a bill legalizing online sports betting next week, following approval in the Senate on Thursday.
Republican legislative leaders on Thursday also revealed more details about what could come in additional gambling legislation this year, including the potential for additional casinos.
The mobile sports betting bill passed the Senate by a vote of 37-11. The House will have to take up the bill again due to changes the Senate made to it.
House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) said he expects those votes to occur Tuesday and Wednesday, at which point, the bill would be on the way to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk.
Cooper has been a supporter of allowing mobile sports betting.
The bill would legalize betting on professional, collegiate, amateur, and electronic sports. The Senate increased the tax rate on operators to 18 percent and legalized horse-racing bets in their bill, so the House will have to vote to concur with those changes.
A non-partisan analysis found it would generate about $100 million in revenue for the state in the fifth year sports betting is allowed, with a net impact of $71.1 million after factoring in expenses.
People would also be allowed to place cash bets in person at venues like PNC Arena in Raleigh and Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
As that bill has moved through the legislature, Republicans also have discussed whether to allow additional casinos and video-lottery terminals.
Moore said Thursday a bill has been drafted that has not yet been made public. It would allow four “entertainment districts” where casinos could be built alongside restaurants, hotels, shopping, and other forms of entertainment.
“What it would essentially it would do, is it would go into some of the poorest areas that are really have some challenges,” he said. “And, if there’s a way to do it that doesn’t have any ill effects that would allow some of these areas that have economic challenges to grow, why not look at it?”
The discussion about additional casinos comes as Virginia is opening four near the North Carolina state line. The most recent one opened last month in Danville, Virginia.
There are currently three casinos in North Carolina on tribal land.
“That horse is kind of out of the barn, and it would be a way where the state could collect additional revenue. So, it looks like that may be taking shape,” said Moore.
A conservative group called Greater Carolina recently released a study by Spectrum Gaming that looked at the potential of North Carolina adding three more casinos in Rockingham, Anson, and Nash counties. Spectrum estimates about $1.6 billion in gross gaming revenue could be generated.
Moore would not say what four communities would be identified in the bill for entertainment districts but acknowledged the three counties mentioned in the Spectrum report are being discussed.
“And, I think you see when it comes to gaming issues, you just see some changes out there among the people,” Moore said. “It was a big deal when the lottery passed. And now, folks don’t even think about it.”
When Virginia approved additional casinos a few years ago, voters in the communities where they could be permitted ultimately had the final say on whether a casino should be allowed or not.
It’s not clear how it would work in North Carolina, but Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) said there should be some way for local communities to determine that, perhaps putting that question on the ballot or getting approval from a local elected body.
“We’re a lot closer than we’ve ever been before. There are still some very significant hurdles,” Berger said.
Sen. Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake) was among the 11 senators who voted against the mobile sports betting bill. She said she doesn’t oppose gambling outright but had concerns about the ease of access to online betting, particularly allowing people to use credit cards to place bets.
“So, my big concern is that we’re giving literally licenses to sort of manipulate people into behaviors that can be either really harmful if you get into gambling addiction but can also be harmful to folks just getting into debt,” she said. “You can get in deep pretty fast and ruin your credit for decades to come.”
As far as allowing other forms of gambling, such as additional casinos, she said, “I think a lot of the devil is in the details: where they’re located, how they’re promoted, that sort of thing.”