North Carolina legislators are set to consider a proposed bill which would pave the way for legalizing sports betting on tribal lands in the state.
If the bill were to be approved, customers would have the opportunity to wager bets on both professional and collegiate sports events via licensed sportsbooks.
S 154 has been written in a way that complies with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and will require the agreement of a Tribal-State Gaming Compact with the tribes that are intending on providing gambling services.
The proposal does not, as of yet, allude to the possibility of allowing mobile or online betting – implying that punters would be limited to placing bets on-site at the tribal premises.
Senator Jim Davies has thrown his support behind the bill, and believes that the legalization of sports betting in North Carolina will be a welcome addition to gaming machines, live table games, raffles and video games that are currently permitted.
Currently, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which operate the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel in Murphy, are the only tribe in North Carolina that are allowed to offer gambling services to the public.
The proposed legislation does not currently include information pertaining to tax or licence fees, however it has been clarified that all money paid by tribes under the Compact agreement must be paid to the Indian Gaming Education Revenue Fund.
North Carolina may soon become one of the many states to legalize sports betting following the repeal of PASPA last year. Neighbouring state Virginia is currently debating the possibility of legalizing sports betting, while Indiana’s sports betting bill was passed by the State Senate earlier this week.
