North Carolina tribal betting bill heads to Governor

A bill to include sports betting in the list of Class III tribal gaming products is headed to the North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper after it was approved by the state’s House of Representatives.  Senate Bill 154, finally went to a full House vote yesterday (July 15), after a reading scheduled for July 11 was delayed. It was approved by 90 Representatives, with 27 voting against.  The bill, which was filed in February before stalling in a House committee after passing through the Senate in April, benefitted from the state’s legislative session being extended beyond July 1, to allow lawmakers to thrash out a budget deal. While the bill will bring sports betting to the state, it restricts it to tribal operators with existing Class III facilities, which currently only includes two venues operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.