In addition to sports betting, casinos could be considered by North Carolina lawmakers

State lawmakers are anticipated to legalize on-line sports activities betting this yr. Nevertheless it’s not the one change they’re contemplating making to playing legal guidelines.

Rep. Jason Saine, R-Lincoln, is sponsoring the sports activities betting laws. It just lately handed the Home and is anticipated to have majority help within the Senate. Saine informed the WUNC Politics Podcast that legislators are additionally speaking about legalizing casinos.

“I do assume we’ll see one thing out of the Senate to that impact,” he mentioned. “I’ve been with these of us and we’ve talked about it. It could be the yr for that as nicely.”

The one authorized casinos in North Carolina are operated by American Indian tribes. There’s one in Cherokee on the western finish of the state, and a brand new one just lately opened in Kings Mountain, close to Charlotte. However a brand new regulation in Virginia has paved the way in which for a on line casino below building in Danville, simply throughout the state line. Caesars Leisure is planning to open a brief location there this summer time, with a full resort on line casino opening subsequent yr.

Virginia has additionally accepted casinos in Bristol, Norfolk and Portsmouth, each of that are anticipated to draw guests from throughout the state line in North Carolina. Saine mentioned that may imply North Carolina loses out on tax income.

Saine says attitudes towards on line casino playing have modified over time. Now they entice growth and different facilities the place they’re constructed.

“They’re actually changing into extra destination-type locations, the place even when you don’t gamble, there are issues to go do,” he mentioned, including that it is a huge shift from the previous picture of a “side-of-the-road little on line casino, the place you’ve bought some previous girl with a crackly voice smoking a cigarette, consuming her drink.”

On line casino-related laws hasn’t been filed but, however legislators nonetheless have a couple of extra weeks to file new payments forward of this yr’s deadline.