A North Carolina sports betting bill, SB 688, remains stuck in a House Judiciary Committee. The committee made no plans to meet this Tuesday — its normal day to convene — which means the bill may have to wait at least another week until being discussed.
With North Carolina’s legislative session ending on June 30, time is running out for the House to pass SB 688, which the state Senate approved in 2021. Rep. Ted Davis Jr. is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, the House panel that is expected to take the first look at the bill, and Davis’ legislative assistant told Sports Handle the committee can always schedule a meeting for another time this week, but nothing is guaranteed.
North Carolina’s legislative session ends on June 30, so time is running out to pass the mobile sports betting bill in the 2022 legislative session.
— Bennett Conlin (@BennettConlin) June 14, 2022
If the committee doesn’t meet this week, it might not be until June 21 that SB 688 is discussed in any House committee. With likely stops in finance and rules committees before even reaching the House floor, North Carolina legislators would need to work rapidly in order to legalize statewide mobile sports wagering in the 2022 legislative session.
Last week, the legislative assistant for Rep. Jason Saine, a legislator tasked with leading SB 688 through the House, told Sports Handle that Saine was “hopeful” everything could stay on track during the short legislative session, though that seems less likely by the day.
The bill
Currently, retail sports betting is legal at a pair of tribal-owned casinos in the state. SB 688 would legalize statewide mobile wagering, giving adults in North Carolina widespread access to legal sports betting platforms.
As currently written, the bill would allow for up to 12 mobile sports wagering operators in the state. It’s expected that major sports betting operators such as DraftKings and FanDuel would enter the state’s betting market.
The bill proposes an 8% tax rate on adjusted gross revenue, a relatively low rate when compared to other states. Virginia, for example, has a 15% tax rate on gross gaming revenue.
