NC Lottery Commission Proposes Sports and Pari-Mutuel Wagering Rules

On Wednesday, the independent, self-supporting, and revenue-raising agency of the State of North Carolina, the North Carolina State Lottery Commission, issued a notice of proposed rulemaking.

The agency responsible for licensing and regulating sports betting and wagers on horse racing, under the Sports Wagering and Pari-Mutuel Wagering law, had its sports betting committee unanimously vote on a proposed pari-mutuel rule-making. 

The proposed rules and amendments would allow the staff to complete the procedure that would enable Tar Heel State bettors to enjoy fresh options that would also include retail sports betting and esports. 

As a result, the commission set up a public hearing, asking for public comment on the adoption of the proposed rules that could be included in the Rules Manual for Sports Wagering and Pari-Mutuel Wagering. 

The proposed rules and amendments to previous rules included topics like authorized and prohibited sporting events and wager types, responsible gaming limits, advanced deposit wagering operator licensing, payment of license application fees, vendor registrations for pari-mutuel wagering, simulcasting agreements, compliance with Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978, authorized horse races and wager types, pari-mutuel wagering and horse race information, and others. 

The state initially passed its first batch of betting rules last November after allowing the public to submit their commentary on the second batch of rules by an indicated date toward the end of the same month.

Public Feedback Pending Until October 18 

As a result of the commission’s recent vote, a 30-day timeframe until October 18 has been opened to the public. 

During this time, the public along with stakeholders can freely express their opinions and feedback or bring forward any additional proposals for changes to the new rules. 

The commission’s staff will conduct a public comment session with the purpose of collecting all comments and feedback regarding the proposed rules on October 8 starting at 9:00 a.m. at the North Carolina State Lottery Commission Headquarters in Raleigh.

Individuals interested in making an oral presentation need to first register to speak at least one business day in advance using an online web portal indicated by the commission. 

The public can also submit comments using the commission’s comment webform where they can discuss specific rules or set of rules and “provide any suggested changes.” 

The commission will also accept comments in different formats, including via email. All public comments need to be submitted no later than the indicated deadline in order for the commission to take them into account. 

After that, the rules will be ready for adoption. 

Working on an Advanced Deposit Wagering System

Gaming Compliance and Sports Betting deputy executive director Sterl Carpenter explained that while no timetable for the launch of horse racing bets could be given, regulators were busy working on an advanced deposit wagering (ADW) system.

The latter would enable operators in the state to accept online bets on horse racing.

At the moment, the commission is deciding upon the standards and technical requirements for the procedure, ensuring ADW application forms will be up for approval in the shortest time possible. 

What is known is that all operators looking to get approval for ADW will have to complete standard background checks. 

Esports and Retail, in the Making 

NC bettors could also soon be given the esports alternative provided the proposed esports guidance and petition that has been voted by the commission would be officially adopted on September 25, during the Lottery Commission’s scheduled meeting.

The state, which collected around $49.5 million in tax revenue from sports wagering since its launch in March this year, is not expected to see a single launch date for retail sports betting, given operators and sports venues will get ready for their grand openings at their own pace. 

However, it has been announced that, in order to obtain compliance certificates, operators will have to keep close ties with the commission and complete a number of tasks and requirements. 

The list includes hosting on-site inspections before their launch, getting the necessary lab certifications, maintaining good relationships with regulators, and issuing the required operational documents.