NC House Expected to Concur with Senate Approval of HB 347

• The North Carolina House is expected to concur with Senate changes of House Bill 347 that would legalize online and retail sports betting in the Tarheel State.
• House Bill 347 was approved for a second time in the Senate on Thursday and now advances to the House.
• With House concurrence (which is expected), legal North Carolina sports betting becomes a Governor signature away.

RALEIGH, N.C. – The North Carolina Senate approved sports betting bill NC HB 347 on Thursday. The bill successfully received both necessary Senate votes and now requires House concurrence to bring the bill to Governor Roy Cooper.

House Bill 347 was heavily amended in Senate committees, but ultimately was approved on Thursday morning by a 37-11 vote. It was the second voting of the bill in the Senate due to the tax rate increase, but now successfully heads to the House for concurrence.

Sports investigative reporter Brian Murphy of WRAL News reported that the House is expected to concur with the Senate’s changes.

Speaker Tim Moore says NC House will concur with Senate changes to sports gambling bill early next week.

— Brian Murphy (@murphsturph) June 1, 2023

This is major news considering many key amendments have been made to House Bill 347 through its course in Senate committees.

Notable Senate Changes to NC HB 347

• Pari-mutuel horse racing wagering.
• Expands retail sports betting to brick-and-mortar sportsbooks at sports stadiums or arenas.
• Tax rate increase from 14% to 18%

Senate changes transformed the legal North Carolina sports betting bill into a retail and online bill with horse wagering. The expansion expects to bring in over $100 million in tax revenue by the 2027-2028 fiscal year.

Distribution of Tax Revenue According to NC HB 347

$2 million will be annually distributed for gambling addiction treatment and education programs to the Department of Health and Human Services. An additional $1 million will be annually awarded for youth sports opportunities and local government grants through the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation.

Additionally, 13 different North Carolina universities will be awarded $300,000 to support their athletic departments.

Any excess revenue will be divided amongst three groups.

• 20% to Historically Black College and Universities athletics department.
• 30% to supports future Super Bowl or March Madness events through the North Carolina Major Events, Games, and Attractions fund.
• 50% to North Carolina General Fund.

Following House concurrence and Governor Roy Cooper’s signature, legal sports betting will launch “no later than 12 months after the bill becomes law.

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