A bill that would legalize retail and online sports betting in North Carolina has passed its first reading in the state House of Representatives.
This comes days after the bill was voted through the state Senate following a third reading, having passed its second reading the previous day.
The bill, titled Senate Bill 688, has now been referred to the Committee on Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House. It was first introduced in April this year.
Although the passing of the bill would permit sports betting to take place online, sports wagering would only be able to take place at or nearby sports venues in the state. Sports venues are defined in the bill as venues that hold professional sports events and have minimum seating capacity of 17,000, or venues that hold golf events with more than 50,000 spectators.
As per the bill, each sports wagering operator is subject to 8% tax on adjusted gross revenue.
Operators must pay a $500,000 licensing fee to the Commission to receive an interactive sports wagering license, and a fee of $25,000 for service provider licenses. A fee of $15,000 must be paid for a sports wagering supplier license. All licenses are valid for five years.
Renewal fees are outlined at $100,000 for an interactive sports wagering license, $10,000 for a service provider license and $5,000 for a sports wagering supplier license.
In March, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and William Hill opened The Book, a retail sports wagering facility, after North Carolina passed a tribal sports betting bill in March 2019.