NC's sports wagering bill attracts bipartisan backers, faces long path in House

More than 40 percent of House lawmakers are backing new legislation to legalize mobile sports betting in North Carolina — a sign of broad, bipartisan support for an effort that failed in the last legislative session.

Among the lawmakers supporting the legislation: Democratic Leader Robert Reives, who voted against the bill last year.

Four primary sponsors this week introduced HB 347, which would permit gambling on professional, college, Olympic and electronic sports from devices located in the state as soon as Jan. 1. Dozens of additional sponsors, including Reives, have since signed onto the bill nearly evenly split among Republicans and Democrats.

"I've had a chance to talk to some people and because my concern was when we went into that vote, a lot of us didn't know what we were voting on, who we were benefiting." Reives told WRAL in January. "And when you vote on something as serious as gambling, my position is I kind of need to know what the lay of the land is. And so we've had months now to really have a chance to sit down, talk, see how this fits all fits into an overall economic development scheme."

At that time, Reives said he had not made a decision on supporting the bill.

A similar bill failed by a single vote last year. The new bill, filed Monday, must clear four committees before a vote on the House floor.

Of the 51 sponsors who have signed on as of Monday evening, 28 are Republicans and 23 are Democrats. Representatives will have another day to join as sponsors. Of the sponsors, 12 were not in the House last year, three were excused on the day of the sports wagering vote, three others did not vote on the bill and Reives voted no. The others supported the measure last year.

There are 120 members of the House.

House Speaker Tim Moore, a Republican from Cleveland County, doesn't cast votes on gambling-related legislation, citing previous work for the Catawba Nation. Sports betting is legal in North Carolina at three tribal casinos, including one run by the Catawba in Kings Mountain.

Among the primary sponsors are Republican Majority Leader John Bell, Republican Conference Chair Jason Saine and House Deputy Democratic Leader Ashton Clemmons. Rep. Zack Hawkins, a Durham Democrat, is the other primary sponsor.

“This bill is a bipartisan bill," Saine said, "and we’ve learned a good bit from both sides about some of the tweaks that needed to happen.”

The bill has been assigned to the Commerce, Finance, Judiciary 1 and Rules committees. The House Commerce Committee meets Tuesday afternoons.

The legislation would also need to clear the Senate and be signed by Gov. Roy Cooper. The Senate passed in August 2021 the sports wagering bill that eventually failed in the House in 2022. Cooper has indicated repeatedly that he would sign it into law.