North Carolina has now taken the final step to officially legalize sports wagering across the state after Governor Roy Cooper - a self-proclaimed Carolina Hurricanes fan - put his signature on House Bill 347 Wednesday morning.
"It's pretty clear that I love sports and as Governor, I've been to a lot of sporting events across our state," Cooper said. "I think it's fantastic what is happening here, not only is it good for entertainment and culture, but it will also grow our economy significantly."
HB 347 will, starting as early as next year, legalize in-person sports books at eight different sports venues - including PNC Arena - and allow for mobile/online sports betting for both college and professional sports across North Carolina.
"We have to implement the administration and the process to set this up," Cooper said on the timeline for official roll out. "The way the legislation is written is that organizations can apply for licenses and those licenses have to be reviewed and issued. Rules have to be written, the administration has to be set up to be able to collect the tax revenue. So it will take a number of months to get that done. We want this to become effective as soon as possible, but we want to make sure it's done right.
"This is a new venture for the State of North Carolina. We have to make sure that the licenses are issued properly and that safeguards and regulations are put up in place, but I think everybody wants to see it by the first of the year if at all possible."
Following the passing of the bill, Carolina Hurricanes general manager and team president Don Waddell released a statement:
“We are extremely grateful for all of the hard work by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to get this bill to the finish line,” Waddell said. “We will now have the opportunity to build a world-class sports-wagering facility to expand the entertainment options around PNC Arena. Our plans will also include a restaurant and bar available to fans every day, helping to spur additional development in and around the arena district.”
The Hurricanes have, for years, been wrestling with NC State University - who owns the land surrounding PNC Arena - and Centennial Authority - which is a governing body set up by the NC General Assembly that owns and provides oversight over the arena - to allow for additional renovations and development.
The legalization of sports wagering will provide another avenue on those fronts and with a sports book only growing PNC Arena as a destination-spot, it will bring in additional financial compensation which will always help matters move along.