• Governor Roy Cooper signs bill to make sports betting legal in North Carolina
• Local lawmakers decide not to burden the operation
• Sports betting to be restricted only to gambling operations, leaving mobile betting out of the question

This Friday marks the day on which North Carolina become the seventh state to integrate sports betting in the state legislation, as the state’s governor – Roy Cooper – signed the S 154 into law. Just recently the state of Tennessee also accommodated sports betting into their legal framework. North Carolina’s new betting law will allow retail sports booking operations to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who manage two casinos in the Appalachian Mountains.

Statewide implementation is also not out of the question, as a separate bill – which aims to gather intelligence on that notion – is also in view, but the resolution of the matter remains to be seen.

The Groundwork for North Carolina’s First Steps towards Sports Betting

Despite the fact that the bill had disappeared from sight and the House had waited a long while before taking measures on the matter, Senator Jim Davis’ bill received unequivocal support.  

The passing of the bill comes as great news for both sports betting enthusiasts, living in the state, as well as Ceasers. The latter being the manager of two tribal property based casinos, Harrah’s Cherokee and Valley River, located on both sides of the mountain.

The Cherokee tribe is the owner of both operations and is considered to be North Carolina’s gambling corner. Their list of authorized Class III games will now include the servicing of wagers on sports events. The above mentioned houses are expected to be ready and willing to accept bets on sports events relatively soon, as the lack of licensing necessities in the state should render the regulatory logistics trouble-free.

Furthermore, local lawmakers and legislators have made the decision not to press any additional burdens for now. The state requires no integrity fees for the new law, nor do prohibitions apply to any booking activities for specific types of events or singled out teams. As a matter of fact, earlier this year the state’s legislature declined a proposal for banning wagers on sports events the participants of which are in-state collegiate teams.

Mobile Betting yet to be Considered

Although currently another bill lies somewhere deep within the House of Congress, for now the new law brought into play comes with restrictions, which allow for sports wagers to be placed only at retail locations. Early-adopters of this year’s sports betting integration wave will be disappointed by the fact, as markets such as the one in New Jersey have clearly accentuate on the importance of allowing sports betting via mobile devices.

Statistics from the state of New Jersey show that more than 80% of sports bets are being placed through smartphones and computers. That number being additionally boosted by transit commuters and other visitors to the state.

Perhaps North Carolina has decided to take the safer approach towards the matter and see how things turn out, which will become clear soon enough.