Davis, whose district includes the Cherokee reservation, filed his bill in February. The original version gave a simplistic definition of sports betting as the \u201cplacing of wagers on the outcome of professional and collegiate sports contests.\u201d<\/p>\n
The committee\u2019s amendment added bets on horse races and limited betting only within Class III casinos on tribal lands.<\/p>\n
Table games and slot machines and all those ancillary gambling opportunities are already legal in this state,\u201d Davis told the Raleigh News and Observer earlier this year. \u201cThis just expands it to cover sports wagering already deemed to be legal. The Eastern Band has been incredibly vigilant, been good stewards of the money.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
On Friday morning, Davis told Casino.org<\/em> that estimates indicate sports betting would generate about $14 million for the tribe. The state would receive about $1 million in tax revenue, he said.<\/p>\nOn the same day Davis filed the bill, a group from the EBCI, which also included the tribe’s leader, went to Raleigh and lobbied on behalf of the bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce passed, our two casinos will begin offering sports betting,\u201d said Principal Chief Richard Sneed in a Facebook post that showed the delegation who made the trek.<\/p>\n
The bill also has the support of state Sen. Phil Berger (R-Eden), the chamber\u2019s president pro tempore.<\/p>\n
Davis\u2019 bill will now go to the Senate Rules and Operations Committee. That panel will hold a meeting on Tuesday to review the bill.<\/p>\n
Sister Bill in the House<\/h2>\n There is also a companion bill to Davis\u2019 in the state House of Representatives. House Bill 302 contains the same language as Davis’ initial proposal.<\/p>\n
\n
The House Judiciary Committee has yet to hear the bill. However, it has substantial backing in the chamber. Among its four sponsors include House Majority Leader John Bell (R-Goldsboro) and House Majority Whip Kevin Corbin (R-Franklin). The bill also lists 20 lawmakers in the 120-member chamber as co-sponsors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Harrah\u2019s River Valley Casino resides in Corbin\u2019s district.<\/p>\n
The Tar Heel State soon could see another tribal casino open as U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) filed a bill<\/a> last month that would allow South Carolina\u2019s Catawba nation to open a $560 million facility in Kings Mountain near Charlotte.<\/p>\nU.S. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) and U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) also sponsor the bill.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Graham said he filed the bill because the Interior Department has sat on Catawba\u2019s application for four years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Catawba Nation has been treated unfairly by the federal government, and our legislation rights that wrong,\u201d said Graham.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A bill that would allow Indian casinos to offer sports betting and horse racing simulcasts has passed its first vote in the North Carolina General Assembly. On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Commerce and Insurance approved an amended version of Senate Bill 154. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Jim Davis (R-Franklin), has the support […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":102166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14577,13,1074,18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
North Carolina Bill Allowing Sports Betting at Tribal Casinos Advances<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n