Let’s take a look at North Carolina from a sports betting perspective—wagering on sports is only legal at tribal-owned casinos and has been since March 2021.
The state does not allow online sports betting, and not because folks didn’t push for it. Indeed, the professional franchises put on a full court press this year only to fall short in the state House, 51-50 in June. The Senate approved the measure by the same vote, 51-50.
That was not the end of the line, just for 2022. Next legislative session, the proponents will be back and better prepared. And expect them to apply more pressure on lawmakers. Failing again could affect the bottom lines, thus the ability to compete, according to WRAL-TV.
“Before I think it was more of encouragement and how this would be helpful,” said Senator Jim Perry, who co-sponsored the primary sports gambling bill. “I think the follow up conversations have been, ‘Hey, do you understand you’re putting us at a competitive disadvantage against other teams, other states, other locations?’ I’m not positive that the first round of conversations was in that manner.”
Carolina Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell is the point man for hockey on this issue. Last session, he met with lawmakers in their offices, explaining how online sports betting is a competitive issue.
“We can’t compete with all the Canadian cities, the New Yorks, Bostons. We can’t continue to fall further behind,” Waddell said.
The Hurricanes signed a five-year lease extension to remain at Raleigh’s PNC Arena through the 2028-29 season. The National Hockey League has a hard salary cap based on a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenue between the players and owners.
“As revenues go up in the league overall, the cap goes up,” Waddell said after a board meeting of the Centennial Authority, which owns PNC Arena. “But if our revenues don’t increase, now that 50-50 split starts to tilt the other way. For us, it might be 60 percent going to the players, only 40 percent going to us.”
Had the bill passed, the Hurricanes, the NFL’s Panthers and NBA’s Charlotte Hornets along with Charlotte Motor Speedway and golf courses that host PGA Tour events, would be able to have sports lounges near their facilities.
“I don’t think it was in a threatening manner,” Perry said. “They have to be competitive. They need to monetize as much of their facilities as possible.”
Everyone expects online sports wagering legislation to resurface next year. Will it meet a different fate?
Waddell feels the result will be different next year. “We’ve got time now where everybody’s heard it. It’s been [at the] forefront. Now we’ve got the next three or five months to make sure everybody understands.”
“As the guy that sponsored the bill on the front end and navigated it through the Senate, I’ve done my part,” said Perry, who said he is not a gambler but sees the business impact of the legislation. “If the topic comes up again, I think it’s reasonable that it needs to come back from their side back to us.”
