North Carolina Taking Baby Steps into the Gambling World

It looks like casinos and overall gambling are, from now on, legal in the state of North Carolina, but there is a bit of a twist in the new law.

Since NC is known for being a traditional and conservative US state…

…it comes as quite a surprise that the government decided to step into the gambling world.

Legal Gambling

On the other hand, casino operators still can’t enter the market. Why? Well, because the governor, Rory Cooper, signed a bill that actually allows gambling only during so-called, “casino nights.”

Those are events that can be organized only by charitable organizations, and in the past, they were controlled by county district attorneys.

It is interesting that some attorneys were prosecuting entities that held casino nights for charity, while others acted as if those events didn’t even exist.

But, since the governor signed new legislation, from now on blackjack, roulette, poker, and other table games will be legal in North Carolina…

…but only if the money earned from such games goes to charity.

The new bill also allows the use of alcohol, which is quite new for such a conservative state.

More on The Gambling Nights

But, gambling activities are strictly forbidden in an area west of where Interstate 26 runs through the state—just south of Asheville to Pisgah National Forest.

It is a forbidden area because it is too close to two Harrah’s Casinos that are run by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians…

…which has an exclusive agreement with the state to operate gambling activities.

It seems like the approval of this bill can lead to the citizens becoming more open to the idea of legal sports betting as well, since Senate Bill 154 is still waiting since April to progress further.

“I know some people won’t vote for [Senate Bill 154] because they have moral objections to wagering but I don’t think it will be many. I’m not a fan of it myself but it’s a legal enterprise and people aren’t forced to do it so the libertarian in me says to have at it. You’re not going to un-ring that bell because [the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians] already has casinos. This is just a small addendum to what [the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians] is already doing,” Senator Davis commented on the bill back in March.

Sports Betting

At the very beginning of March, 72-year-old Republican Senator, Jim Davis, introduced a bill that would legalize wagering on professional and college sports events in NC.

The bill has been progressing really well and has been ed by the state Senate.

Now, it is transferred to the House of Representatives for further voting and potential approval.

The plan of the NC sports wagering Bill, named S154, is to give the exclusive rights to the tribes to be in charge of sports betting activities in the Old North State.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians currently offers other forms of gambling in their venues as well and is actually the only tribe that has an official agreement with the state government to manage gambling activities in the state.

Source:

“North Carolina approves gambling—with a huge catch”, Erik Gibbs, calvinayre.com, May 14, 2019.