‘Time for us to step up and do it.’ Gov. Cooper backs legal online sports betting in NC
Legislation to legalize online sports gambling in North Carolina is likely to be considered in the state legislature this year.
And Gov. Roy Cooper said it is time for the state to act.
Sports betting is legal in North Carolina’s two Cherokee casinos in the western part of the state. The legislation — Senate Bill 688, which passed the state Senate in 2021 and could get a House vote this year — would allow people in the state to bet on games from their mobile devices.
Supporters are confident they have the votes to pass the bill later this year when lawmakers return.
“It’s here whether we like it or not,” Cooper told News & Observer sports columnist Luke DeCock on the ACC Now Podcast.
”The issue is will North Carolina try to be on the cutting edge for the technology jobs and other employment that it will create and plus be able to get state taxpayers their cut or are we just going to let it happen all around us? I think it’s time for us to step up and do it.”
Virginia and Tennessee are among the roughly 20 states that have legalized sports wagering in the four years since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban.
The current bill would tax adjusted gaming revenue at 8%, nearly half of Virginia’s 15% tax rate and much lower than Tennessee’s 20% tax rate, according to the research by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Some states charge as much as 51% tax. Iowa and Nevada, which was exempt from the federal ban before 2018, levy a 6.75% tax on sports betting revenue, the lowest in the nation.
“The legislation that is being considered, I think, probably there needs to be more state tax dollars involved in this, a bigger cut for the people,” Cooper said.
Cooper, a Democrat in his second term as governor, acknowledged some of the issues that critics say are caused by gambling and sports betting, in particular.
“And it’s complicated, but I think there needs to be a free and open debate. We need to do what’s best for the people of North Carolina and I support the move toward it,” he said.
The current legislation calls for $1 million in tax collected from sports wagering to be given to the Department of Health and Human Services for gambling addiction education and treatment programs.
“Clearly there are people that get addicted and it causes some significant harm to families, but I think that is probably already happening. And we need to make sure people can get the treatment they need. I think it’s time for North Carolina to step up and do this.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 7:29 AM with the headline "‘Time for us to step up and do it.’ Gov. Cooper backs legal online sports betting in NC."
