North Carolina’s latest attempt to develop a regulatory framework for fantasy sports has failed, after a bill that would have declared the contests games of skill died in the House Judiciary Committee.
House Bill 929, filed by Representative Howard Hunter, aimed to amend state statutes to declare that fantasy sports did not constitute gambling, lotteries, gaming.
It also proposed repurposing the North Carolina Lottery Commission as the state Gaming Commission, a new nine-member committee that would operate within, but independent from, the state’s Department of Commerce.
This new body would have the power to regulate forms of gaming such as fantasy sports, as well as setting out registration fees for contest operators.
The Gaming Commission would also have taken over the duties of a number of other existing state bodies.
It would have replaced the Alcohol Law Enforcement Branch of the Department of Public Safety as the body responsible for regulating boxing, and taken oversight of raffles and bingo from the State Bureau of Investigation.
However, despite being approved by the House Committee on Commerce, it failed to progress through the Judiciary Committee, with 16 members voting against advancing the bill, and 12 voting for.
A 2017 bill, which contained similar terms, such as declaring fantasy sports legal and establishing a new regulatory body for gaming in North Carolina, also died in committee.