Tim Moore, the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, has stated that the chamber will not vote on any more bills, including those involving mobile sports betting, until Monday next week, according to Gambling.com.
With the state’s legislative session ending on June 30, time is running out for online sports betting to be legalized this year.
SB 688 and SB 38 have both been discussed in the state’s chamber this week after they were passed by the state’s House Committee.
The House voted 51-50 to approve SB 38 in a second reading. However, the chamber also voted 51-50 against SB 688 in its second reading and it also blocked an attempt to return it to the rules committee.
A third reading and a final vote on SB 38 had been set for Thursday, but the bill was removed on Wednesday night from the House calendar and referred back to the Rules, Calendar and Operations Committee.
A noteworthy amendment was also made to SB 38 during its reading, banning all betting on college sports, which is significant as North Carolina has several college athletic programs.
So while SB 38 is technically still awaiting its third hearing, the fact its SB 688 contemporary was voted down makes it unlikely that mobile sports betting will be legalized in North Carolina this year.
Currently, North Carolina has only permitted retail sports betting at tribal casinos, but mobile sports betting is operational in its neighboring states of Tennessee and Virginia.
