North Carolina legalises sports betting at Tribal Casinos

On Friday, the Governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper formally signed into law a measure that now makes in-person sports betting legal at the two tribal casinos within the state. The law will limit sports wagering to only those sites at the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Casinos in Cherokee and Murphy.

It was hoped that there would have also been a second bill to sign, one that would have created a state gambling commission and study expanded gambling options, but that has been delated and is still in the Senate. It passed the House easily.

Earlier this month, the North Carolina House voted 90-27 on the bill that Cooper did sign on Friday. This followed a similarly one-sided vote in the state Senate back in April. The process took several months more than supporters had hoped it would.

The bill, one of the most limited since the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban in May 2018, simply reclassifies sports betting, allowing the Cherokees the right to take bets at their casinos, though supporters hope it leads to more accessibility in North Carolina in the future.

According to the Charlotte Observer, it is believed that between $1 million and $1.5 million could be generated from this new development. North Carolina law already lets the casinos offer live poker and slot machines.

While not assured, Cooper’s signature was expected on the tribal bill because of the veto-proof margins of the votes in both houses.

The two bills, the one now signed into law and the second bill awaiting additional Senate action, had made little progress until Cooper vetoed the legislature’s budget in July because, in part, it didn’t include Medicaid expansion provisions. That forced the legislature to extend its session as they renegotiated the budget.

The second bill would restructure oversight for the current gambling options in North Carolina, including the lottery, bingo and raffles but it would also crack open the door for more dramatic options by charging the a newly formed commission to “study the feasibility of authorizing new gaming activities,” including sports betting and steeplechase and how those options would complement existing gaming offerings.