A new bill aims to expand gambling options for North Carolina residents. mobile sports betting is still being discussed. House Bill 511 (HB 511) is sponsored by Republican Rep. Harry Warren and is similar to a proposal that he supported in 2021. The bill, in essence, calls for the regulation of gambling machines within the state, which could bring in tax revenue that can be used to fund different programs.
In the proposal, the state lottery is responsible for the distribution of these machines which can be placed in businesses like restaurants, bars and shops. The proposal calls for the state lottery to be in charge of the distribution of such machines that can be placed in strong>different businesses such as restaurants, bars or shops/strong>.
The Associated Press reports that a House Committee heard Warren’s proposal on Tuesday. It is still unclear whether HB 512 can gain traction. The Senate has yet to discuss the proposal. It is safe to assume that the proposal faces long odds at the moment.
The proposal aims to eliminate the black market
The Christian Action League of North Carolina, Rev. Mark Creech asked why a proposal like this would be supported, given that “video lotteries terminals are associated with the worst gambling harms.”
Warren’s plan isn’t just to expand gambling. He claims that the new proposal is not just to increase tax revenue, but also to decrease the share of illegal gambling machines which continue to grow in popularity. Warren said that between 60,000 and 100,000 video and sweepstakes gaming machines are operated illegally.
The real reason these things thrive is that people play them. We can reduce the supply by regulating it and restricting the number of sweepstakes parlors. This will eliminate the unregulated aspects of gambling and replace them with gaming entertainment in a controlled and safe environment.
Harry Warren, Rowan County Rep.
According to Warren the popularity of illegal gaming machines is due to people who enjoy gambling. He said, however, that the implementation of a robust regulatory which provides restricted gambling entertainment could reduce the share in the black market while at the same providing a safer form of entertainment for the public . The money that may be generated by the Warren proposal can be used to fund different state programs relating to college education . This will provide vital funding for those who need it.
