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Matt Mercer

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Gambling Arizona

Will NC become latest state to offer sports betting?

RALEIGH – A bill currently in the General Assembly would add North Carolina to a growing list of states offering sports betting following a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that permits states to do so.

The decision in the case, Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, opened sports betting to each individual state. In a 6-3 decision, Justice Samuel Alito said that, “Congress may not simply ‘commandeer the legislative process of the States by directly compelling them to enact and enforce a federal regulatory program.’” The result permitted each state to consider their own plans for sports betting.

Since that decision, 26 states and the District of Columbia have enacted some form of sports betting, according to the American Gaming Association in a Sept. 8 Associated Press report.

North Carolina has not enacted a state-supported plan, but it could happen as this year’s legislative session winds down.

The N.C. Senate approved Senate Bill 688 in August by a 26-19 vote that split both Republicans and Democrats. Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) notably voted for the bill along with eight other Republicans and a plurality of the chamber’s Democrats.

The bill, which is co-sponsored by state Sens. Jim Perry (R-Lenoir) and Paul Lowe (D-Forsyth) is awaiting committee hearings in the N.C. House of Representatives. Sources tell North State Journal that senior House leadership has committed to seeing the bill through, although time is running out as the state budget and redistricting will consume legislators’ time in the coming weeks.

Among the provisions of the bill are restricting its use to those 21 and older, housing regulation under the North Carolina Lottery Commission, awarding licenses to between 10 and 12 companies, a $500,000 application fee for companies, and an 8% state tax. Additionally, the bill creates a fund that uses half of the tax collecting from sports betting to promote major sports, music, entertainment, and political events in the state.

Enthusiasm from sports fans isn’t enough to make betting legal, however. Also contained in the bill are proposed new offenses and enforcement for illegal sports betting. In a fiscal summary from the legislature’s nonpartisan research division, “criminal offense modifications in the proposed
bill may have a fiscal impact on the judicial and correction systems.”

The fiscal summary continues, saying, “due to a lack of sufficient historical data on this offense or similar offenses, the Fiscal Research Division (FRD) is unable to provide a reasonable estimate of the total fiscal impact. Each additional person charged will have a cost to the judicial system and each additional person convicted will have a cost to the correction system.”

Also, some opposed to expanding sports betting are concerned about longstanding illegal sports gambling ties to criminal activities.

The FBI’s organized crime division says organized crime groups often use the money made from illegal gambling to fund other criminal activities like the trafficking of humans, drugs, and weapons. “These operations may also be involved in tax evasion and money laundering,” according to the bureau’s Integrity and Sports Gaming Initiative.

To address those concerns, SB 688 says each licensee must report, as soon as practicable, any information relating to abnormal betting activity or patterns that may indicate a concern with the integrity of a sporting event or events, or any other conduct that corrupts a sports wagering outcome of a sporting event or events for purposes of financial gain, including match fixing.

Ches McDowell, a Raleigh-based lobbyist, says, “The evidence clearly shows that the people who bet on sports are not the people down to their last $10 to be on the Cowboys to win $4. People who bet on sports are generally male, ages 30-50, with disposable income, and higher levels of education that the general public. Sports betting is very different than spinning a roulette wheel or buying a lottery ticket – knowledge is required.”

McDowell has been involved in some of the discussions around the bill. He represents the Charlotte Hornets, PGA Tour, and other sports-related entities in the state.

While the state continues to examine whether it will permits sports betting, those wishing to bet on their favorite teams can head to the NC mountains to place a wager.

In March, Harrah’s Cherokee casinos opened tribal sports betting venues at its Cherokee and Murphy locations.

“As the first sports betting venue in North Carolina, The Book (the venue name) provides an innovative, Las Vegas- style gaming experience to our guests,” said Brooks Robinson, regional senior vice president & general manager of Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos.

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Celebrating freedom is a local tradition

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MILLBORO — Taking the scenic route home can take you through some interesting places in North Carolina. Taking the scenic route in 1999 led Tony Trogdon to start a Randolph County tradition that has lasted 22 years — an Independence Day parade.

Trogdon and his wife, Sondra, took a drive to Mount Airy in 1999 on the Fourth of July. They decided to take the long way home and found themselves in the middle of a parade in the town of Shoals in Surry County. The Trogdons saw classic cars, trucks, bicycles, floats, and emergency vehicles parading along a rural route. After the experience, Tony was inspired to replicate the parade in his home territory of Millboro, an unincorporated area of Randolph County east of Randleman and north of Franklinville.

Trogdon said his goal was to start the parade in 2000: “I contacted DOT and asked them about blocking the road in Millboro for a parade and was told I could not do that.”

Undeterred, Trogdon contacted then-Sheriff Litchard Hurley who found a way to block a short stretch of road to accommodate the first parade, which included about 35 participants. Now the parade spans three miles beginning at the Faith Temple Church then down Mack Linberry Road and Tom Brown Road ending at Bethany Methodist Church. This year’s parade included over 120 participants.

Tony Trogdon during the Millboro Independence Day Parade in 2005. (Sondra Trogdon)

Over the next two decades, the parade has grown into a community event. One of the highlights each year has been a hot-dog supper following the parade. That tradition was put on hold last year due to the COVID-19 restrictions imposed by local and state governments. The Trogdons say they hope to bring that part of the event back next year.

Tony and Sondra are lifelong Randolph County residents. He graduated from Randleman High School in 1966, and she graduated from Eastern Randolph in 1969. The couple has been married for 51 years and have two sons and a daughter who help put the parade on each year.

The COVID-19 restrictions put a damper on the parade last year, but according to Sondra, rain has never stopped the event: “It got down to just a few days before July 4th last year, and people were calling us wanting the parade to go on.”

The couple decided to continue the tradition with some safety modifications, which continued this year.

NC House Rep. Pat Hurley throws candy during the Millboro 4th of July Parade on John Brown Road in Millboro, NC on July 3rd, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/ FOR THE NORTH STATE JOURNAL

“It is special because it is so much an old-fashioned American parade, where children and adults are welcome,” said state Rep. Pat Hurley, who has participated in the parade for many years. “People along the route on the two-lane roads are out in front of their homes standing or sitting with American flags everywhere.”

Hurley made sure to appeal to the children by throwing candy from a convertible during the parade.

The Trogdons still lead the event but are happy the community members have embraced the event and are taking ownership of the parade. Sondra says both Bethany Church and Faith Temple open their fellowship halls to attendees, provide parking and help turn the hot-dog supper into a community covered-dish supper.

“This event was started for the people; it wasn’t for me,” said Tony. “I’ve always tried to help the children in my community.”