North Carolina continues to warm up to expanded legal gambling
Legislators in North Carolina have slowed down their efforts to authorize more casinos during the upcoming legislative session based on statements made by General Assembly leaders. However, the push by lawmakers to propose regulation of video gambling machines could return in the spring.
The proposal to add four more casinos in the state failed in September as Democrats and House conservatives rejected the effort by Senate Republicans to add the gambling language into the two-year state budget.
Senate leader Phil Berger, an emphatic supporter of developing casinos to would bring jobs and local revenue, said on Wednesday that he won’t seek casino legislation in the session that starts in April. He also stated that nothing “leads me to believe that somebody is going to champion moving forward” with a bill.
House Speaker Tim Moore stated on Wednesday that lawmakers have been discussing resurrecting legislation for video lottery terminals, which was an element that many other lawmakers preferred in the 2023 gambling proposal.
However, Berger says lawmakers may not have enough time to discuss the legislation during the upcoming session, which typically lasts about two or three months. “Some of that may need a little more runway than what we’ll have for the short session,” he stated.
A fiscal analysis by the General Assembly staff estimates that video machines could generate more than $400 million in yearly tax revenue for the state by the middle of 2028.
More gambling opportunities are emerging in the state, as the North Carolina Education Lottery expanded last November to offer online games called digital instants. Sports betting will be available for residents beginning on March 11, after House Bill 347 was approved and endorsed by Governor Roy Cooper in June 2023.
