Duke students will soon be able to bet on their favorite sports teams, including the Blue Devils.
Gov. Roy Cooper signed House Bill 347, the Sports Wagering Bill, into law Wednesday, legalizing sports betting across the state. The bill, which passed with both bipartisan support and opposition in the General Assembly, tasks the Lottery Commission with determining when exactly the wagering can start. That date must be within the next 12 months, and participants must be over 21.
“This legislation will help North Carolina compete, make sure taxpayers receive a share, create many good-paying jobs and foster strong economic opportunity,” Cooper said in a press release. “As we move forward, we should work to make sure more of the revenue is used to invest in our public schools, teachers and students.”
North Carolinians will be able to wager on professional sports, electronic sports, amateur sports and college sports.
“Duke has been dealing with the effects of increased legalized sports wagering for several years, as many of our athletes and other Duke students have had opportunities to bet legally on sports,” wrote Chris Simmons, interim vice president for public affairs and government relations, in a statement to The Chronicle.
A 2018 Supreme Court ruling allowed for states to authorize sports gambling. North Carolina now joins 37 states in legalizing the practice and 28 states in legalizing mobile sports wagering.
“This will undoubtedly impact our student-athletes as friends and classmates will increasingly participate in wagering,” Simmons wrote. “We have worked with peers and industry experts on plans to enhance our education and monitoring systems and coordinated with our behavioral health team and others to provide support and resources as student-athletes navigate challenges.”
North Carolina can now grant five-year licenses for up to 12 sports wagering operators. The bill outlines two ways to place a sports wager: in-person at a place of public accommodation and online via an “interactive account.”
Although the bill authorizes on-site sports betting at certain facilities like Raleigh’s PNC Arena or Charlotte’s Spectrum Center, it does not do so for facilities that serve as the home arena for any college sports teams, like Cameron Indoor Stadium.
To address concerns about expanding gambling in the state, the bill invests part of the proceeds from an 18% tax on gross wagering revenue into gambling addiction education and treatment programs. It also invests in the University of North Carolina system, a fund to bring sporting events to the state and the North Carolina Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council.
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Andrew Long is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 119th volume.
Jazper Lu is a Trinity junior and managing editor of The Chronicle's 119th volume.