North Carolina legislators adopt amendment to ban betting on college sports

On3 imageby:Nick Schultz06/22/22

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Mobile sports betting could be coming to North Carolina. But if it does, fans won’t be able to bet on all sports.

The North Carolina House of Representatives adopted an amendment to ban betting on college sports in the state, according to Better Collective’s Bennett Conlin. If the bill goes into law, bettors notably won’t be able to bet on any North Carolina or Duke basketball games or any college football games.

The House adopted the amendment by a 62-39 vote. Now, the wait is on to see what happens with the sports betting bill.

Other states ban betting on in-state college sports betting, but North Carolina is shaping up to be the first state to ban bettors from wagering on any college sports, according to The Action Network’s Sam McQuillan.

More on North Carolina’s mobile sports betting bill

In May, there was hope the mobile sports betting bill would be passed in time for football season.

Some state congressmen spoke with WRAL-TV and said SB 688 could pass during the state’s “short” session, which began on Wednesday. The current laws only allow North Carolina residents to place bets at two Cherokee casinos in-person.

“We just want to make sure we have drummed up the votes, and I think we have,” State Sen. Paul Lowe (D-Forsyth) told WRAL’s Brian Murphy. “I feel confident about it.”

There’s support for the bill among North Carolina residents. WRAL ran a poll that found 52% of people who responded are in favor of online sports betting. Reasons people are in favor of the new legislation include revenue, which could be upward of millions of dollars.

“We’re ready to rock ‘n’ roll. I’ve not heard any new opposition,” State Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln) told Murphy. “I think we have a pretty smooth glide path once we do kind of start rolling into session.”

If the measure passes, it could open the door for sites like FanDuel and DraftKings to go live by football season. The 2022 NFL season starts Sept. 8, and the Carolina Panthers play their first game Sept. 11 against the Cleveland Browns.