House Bill 631 - Sports Wagering Summary

• Authorizes and regulates interactive sports wagering in North Carolina through the establishment of Article 9 in Chapter 18C of the General Statutes, effective October 1, 2021.

• Permits the Commission to license between 10 and 12 interactive sports wagering operators to accept wagers on professional sports, college sports, electronic sports, amateur sports, and other Commission-approved events, with a $500,000 licensing fee and background checks required.

• Imposes an 8% tax on adjusted gross revenue from sports wagers, with 50% of tax revenue allocated to the North Carolina Major Events, Games, and Attractions Fund for attracting major sporting and entertainment events to the state.

• Prohibits sports wagering on youth sports, injuries, penalties, disciplinary proceedings, and replay reviews; requires operators to prevent underage wagering, maintain player confidentiality, and implement geolocation verification.

• Establishes a voluntary exclusion program allowing individuals to self-exclude from sports wagering and creates criminal penalties ranging from Class 2 misdemeanors for unlawful wagering to Class G felonies for match-fixing conspiracies.