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The state Senate is positioned to vote on a divisive bipartisan House sports wagering bill after the legislation cleared the final two House committees Tuesday.
The 28-page House Bill 347, titled “Sports Wagering/Horse Racing Wagering,” gained the recommendations of the House Finance and gate-keeper Rules and Operations committees.
The bill sailed through Finance and Rules and Operations with several significant Senate changes intact, including the additional pari-mutuel betting that’s foremost used in horse racing, but also dog racing and jai alai.
HB347 also has added authorizing in-person wagering at additional public venues associated with professional sports teams and organizations.
Another change adds the Appalachian State, East Carolina and UNC Charlotte athletics programs among 14 UNC System members that would receive $300,000 in annual proceeds.
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Pari-mutuel wagering is defined in the legislative analysis of HB347 as “a form of wagering in which the organizer pools all wagers placed together and pays the winners with the collected bets.” Under current state law, pari-mutuel wagering on horse races is illegal in N.C. except for wagers placed at casinos operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Catawba Indian Nation.
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