North Carolina advances with sports betting expansion

The amended compact has been sent to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which will review it over a 45-day period.

US.- North Carolina has come closer to expanding sports betting in the state after Governor Roy Cooper signed an amended gaming compact with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The compact, which has been submitted to the Department of the Interior (DOI) to review, will allow sportsbooks to operate in the state.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, a federal agency within the DOI, has 45 days to approve the amended compact by federal law. If no response is made within that period, the compact is considered to have been approved.

The compact, which is 36 pages in length, was also signed by the secretary of state Elaine Marshall and attorney general Josh Stein.

North Carolina state Rep. Jason Saine said in a statement: “When we get back in session beginning January 13, one of the reality checks is that we’re going to be short on revenue.

“Combine that with that fact that over the years, gambling has become more and more accepted in certain circles of society. And the question you get from citizens is, ‘Why can’t we play this game or that game, or why can’t we do what we can do in other states?’ Legislators are getting those questions.”

Gov. Cooper legalised sports betting back in July 2019, but the law limited sports wagering to the two casinos owned and operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee.

A third Native American casino has been proposed in North Carolina by the Catawba Indian Nation, a tribe based in South Carolina.