North Carolina considering sportsbetting legalization
This week reportedly saw a senior member of the North Carolina State Senate introduce legislation that could see legalized sportsbetting on a wide array of professional and collegiate events debut in the southern state as soon as the summer.
Tribal effort:
According to a report from CalvinAyre.com, Jim Davis is the principle sponsor of Senate Bill 154 with the 72-year-old having initiated the measure on Wednesday at the request of the federally-recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This is the third gambling-related bill the Republican has ever introduced and its passage would purportedly allow the tribe to add sportsbetting to the Class III services it already offers inside its Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel facilities.
PASPA possibilities:
The introduction of Senate Bill 154 reportedly follows May’s invalidation by the United States Supreme Court of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which had largely been responsible for limiting legalized sportsbetting to casinos in Nevada, as well as the subsequent launch of sports wagering services in Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Mississippi, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New Mexico. There are also purportedly some 30 other states including the likes of Arizona, Washington and Indiana that are currently considering whether to follow suit via similar legislative moves.
Modest opposition:
The five-term North Carolina State Senator reportedly believes that his measure is not set to encounter much resistance as it makes its way through the legislative process because the genie is already somewhat out of the bottle when it comes to sportsbetting.
Davis to CalvinAyre.com…
“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.”
Online eclipse:
While Senate Bill 154 calls for sportsbooks to be permitted inside the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ two casinos, its passage would reportedly not authorize the tribe to operate online or offer mobile wagering services. Davis purportedly declared that he is ‘in favor of’ these restrictions because the tribe is not currently interested in running such operations.
Davis to CalvinAyre.com…
“The Eastern Band [of Cherokee Indians] came to me with this proposal and that’s what it wanted. It is not interested in expanding it at this time and probably has no interest in expanding in the future.”
This week reportedly saw a senior member of the North Carolina State Senate introduce legislation that could see legalized sportsbetting on a wide array of professional and collegiate events debut in the southern state as soon as the summer. Tribal effort: According to a report from CalvinAyre.com, Jim Davis is the principle sponsor of Senate…