On Monday, the North Carolina legislature approved a bill that would authorize sports betting at tribal venues in the state.
The House voted in favor of the bill, SB 154, by a vote of 90-27. The bill will now head to Governor Roy Cooper, where he will have the option to sign it into law.
The bill, which is just two pages long, adds sports betting and horse race betting to the list of Class III gambling activities that tribal casinos in the Old North State can offer.
If the bill is signed into law by the Governor, two casinos owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will be able to offer sports betting in North Carolina.
Another bill being considered
The North Carolina legislature is also looking at another piece of sports betting legislation.
Shortly after the introduction of SB 154, lawmakers introduced HB 929, an act that would create the North Carolina Gaming Commission.
HB 929 was eventually repurposed into SB 574. Under SB 574, the state’s Gaming Commission will not have the authority to monitor or regulate tribal gambling.
The Bill also calls for a study on the legalization of sports betting at commercial venues throughout the state.
If the bill is successful, the commission would have to submit an initial report in February 2020 and a final report in April 2020.
What happens next
SB 154 will now head to North Carolina’s Governor, where he will have 30 days to sign the bill into law or veto it.
If the bill is signed into law, it will pave the way for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to offer sports betting at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.
If SB 574 receives approval from both the House and Senate, it will head to the Governor who will decide whether to grant final approval.
Elsewhere in the US, an upstate casino in New York has officially launched sports betting operations.
