Up next for sports betting in NC: Sportsbooks, horse racing, fantasy contests
In a report to state lawmakers, the North Carolina Lottery Commission outlined its next steps in regulating sports betting in the state.
Posted — UpdatedMobile sports betting is not yet live in North Carolina, but the state's lottery commission is already considering its next steps in the expansion of wagering.
The commission said that additional rule making specifically concerning pari-mutuel wagering and horse racing are planned for later this year. It did not spell out a timeline. Pari-mutuel wagering means that all money is pooled and the payout depends on the amount of winning bets placed.
The commission wrote that "this could potentially be rectified by allowing an advance deposit wagering (ADW) operator to partner with a sports wagering operator, but that likely would require a legislative amendment."
The law allows for most operators to have "two permanent places of public accomodation" – one located on the property of a sports facility and another within a half-mile radius of a sports facility.
The commission wrote that "only one operator-applicant indicated in its application its intention to operate a place of public accommodation."
Carolina Hurricanes president and general manager Don Waddell previously told WRAL that the franchise wants to open an in-person facility and that it chose Fanatics Sportsbook as its partner because of Fanatics willingness to operate an in-person sportsbook.
The Hurricanes are considering inside PNC Arena or at the nearby Backyard Bistro, which they recently purchased. The restaurant would likely not have the space to accommodate all the security, surveillance and other compliance obligations put forth by the commission.
The commission was asked if the "eligible Places of Accommodation might avail themselves of a lighter set of compliance requirements if the facility opts to not have a 'full' sportsbook, and instead operates a limited number of kiosks only."
Commission staff is evaluating the request, it wrote.
There was strong push back from companies in that space, including Underdog Fantasy, and the rule was shelved by the commission, which said it would monitor the actions that other states took.
Underdog recently canceled its fantasy pick'em contests in North Carolina. It is one of the eight licensed sports betting operators.
Other states have begun to crackdown on the fantasy pick'em contests, which are often a series of statistical prop bets for individual players.
In its report, the commission wrote that it and "and its staff are monitoring regulatory actions in other gaming jurisdictions where policymakers are taking enforcement actions, bringing lawsuits, or engaging in rulemaking to address unauthorized sports wagers marketed inappropriately under other names. Actions in these peer jurisdictions may inform Commission policy, actions by enforcement authorities, and lawmakers’ priorities."
The commission said it "does not seek to regulate fantasy sports as they are appropriately understood and commonly enjoyed." But it made clear that it does not think the pick'em offerings are fantasy sports.
proposition, a prop fantasy offering – run afoul of North Carolina law and present enforcement and audit challenges," the commission wrote in its report.
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