NC Committees Give Favorable Report to Mobile Sports Betting

• House Bill 347 would regulate online sports betting across North Carolina.
• North Carolina sports betting is restricted to in-person wagers placed at the three Native American casino locations.
• Multiple House committees and Governor Roy Cooper are in support of the bill.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Legislation that would expand legal sports betting in North Carolina is being well received by House committees. House Bill 347 has been approved by the commerce, judiciary, and finance committees of the North Carolina House.

Sports betting is already regulated in North Carolina but only on site at the three tribal casinos in NC. North Carolina residents wanting to place a sports wager in person must head to either Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River, or Catawba Two Kings Casino.

That might not be the case for long, as House Bill 347 continues to gain traction in the House. NC HB 347 would expand sports gambling and regulate online sports betting.

The bill would allow for anyone over the age of 21 years old to bet on collegiate and professional sports, as well as horse racing.

In previous years, sports betting bills have been successful in the Senate but failed in the House. New legislators and changed opinions towards legal sports betting have resulted in 55 House members sponsoring the bill.

This number is almost half of the entire chamber, a promising number for the hopeful mobile NC sports betting fans.

NC HB 347 has encouraging support in the House likely means the Senate will be the biggest obstacle for the bill, as Governor Roy Cooper has already vocalized his support on multiple occasions for legal North Carolina sports betting expansion.

Cooper expects the state to earn over $60 million in revenue during the year of 2024, with expectations that betting will commence in January if the bill becomes law.

News tags: House | NC HB 347 | North Carolina | Roy Cooper | Senate