Sports betting, according to Brittanica, is a “form of gambling that involves wagering on sports.” On June 14, 2023, Governor Roy Cooper signed a Housebill (HB-347), legalizing sports betting in North Carolina. This bill allows residents of North Carolina to place bets on sports games both in-person and online sportsbooks (any company or organization that accepts bets on sporting events). Online betting is set to launch on Mar. 11, 2024; however, bettors are permitted to create and add funds to their account starting on Mar. 1, 2024.
Sports betting in the United States has a longstanding history, beginning in the 1600s with betting on horse races according to Doc's Sports Services. As time progressed, many states banned sports betting for various reasons, including religious restrictions and to preserve morality. In 1992, The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was passed, which prohibited bets on professional and amateur sports according to congress.gov. In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down this act and left the issue of sports betting for states to decide. A year later, in 2019, North Carolina legalized sports betting at tribal casinos, and later two bills that proposed the legalization of sports betting statewide were shot down until HB-347 was adopted in 2023 per nc.gov.
Several companies have applied to operate in North Carolina following the legalization of sports betting last year. Potential sports betting websites to keep an eye out for are Bet MGM, Draft Kings, ESPN BET, Fanatics and Fanduel. Until these companies are granted licenses to operate in person, sports betting is available at several tribal casinos.
In order to sports bet, a person must be located in North Carolina and be at least 21 years old. Here are some basics: a moneyline bet is the most straightforward way to bet, a person needs to simply pick which team or player that they anticipate to win. Plus and minus signs will give you an indication of what your payout should be if you win. If there’s a minus sign, a person’s payout will be less than their initial investment. If there’s a plus sign then a person's payout would be greater than their initial investment. An over/under bet is placing a bet on whether one or both teams score over or under the number assigned by sportsbooks. A point spread bet is when a person bets on one team winning by a certain number of points.
Sports betting has come under fire for its lack of restrictions per Slow Boring. Many people are concerned about how the legalization of betting will enable gambling addictions for many North Carolinians. However, a growing majority view sports betting as a positive because of the revenue it will generate for the state.
By Liese Devine, Features Editor
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