Posted on: July 18, 2024, 08:22h.
Last updated on: July 18, 2024, 08:22h.
The North Carolina lawmaker who helped bring online sports betting to the Tar Heel State is resigning.
State Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln) says he’ll depart the Raleigh capital next month after serving in the North Carolina House of Representatives for 13 years. The 50-year-old’s resignation becomes official Aug. 12.
Last year, Saine championed legislation during the North Carolina “long session” to bring commercial online sportsbooks to the state. Saine authored House Bill 347 with Reps. John Bell (R-Wayne), Zack Hawkins (D-Durham), and Ashton Wheeler Clemmons (D-Guilford).
Sports betting had previously been limited to in-person betting at the state’s tribal casinos. Attempts to authorize the gambling activity off of tribal lands in previous legislative sessions had failed, but after the state welcomed in 12 new senators and 28 new representatives, and amid changing public opinion, the odds finally tipped in commercial sports betting’s favor.
Sports Betting Champ’s Next Steps
Saine said he’s departing politics for a job in the private sector, though that could include a future in lobbying that would keep in intertwined with the capital.
I am choosing to step from public life to pursue several unique professional opportunities that have presented themselves,” Saine wrote in his resignation letter to House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland). “These roles will allow me to continue advocating for the policies I am passionate about, including consulting on several key issues that are close to my heart. I remain open to exploring avenues where I can contribute to policy development within North Carolina and beyond.”
Saine won the 2010 election for the 97th District seat in the state House. He was reelected five times and was running unopposed this year. His Republican colleagues will name his successor who will finish out Saine’s term and ideally become the 2024 candidate to retain the House seat.
Moore appointed Saine in 2019 to the powerful position of senior chair of the House Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for drafting the state’s annual budget. Saine won support for his online sports betting bill in 2023 by telling state lawmakers that the gaming expansion could result in the General Fund receiving about $45 million a year upon market maturity.
Saine joins Moore in departing the state House. But while Saine is exiting for a private sector career, Moore is seeking to head to the US Congress in the 14th District that includes part of Cleveland County. Moore faced backlash last year for initially supporting a Senate effort to legalize commercial Las Vegas-style casino resorts in designated rural counties.
North Carolina Sports Betting
HB 347 passed the North Carolina House in March 2023. It underwent considerable change in the state Senate and the bill returned to the House in early June. The House adopted the modifications and moved the online sports betting bill to Gov. Roy Cooper (D) who signed the statute into law on June 14, 2023.
Online sportsbooks pay the state a $1 million licensing fee that’s good for five years. Sportsbook revenue is subjected to an 18% tax. Promotional money given to players cannot be counted against net income.
Eight sportsbooks are live in North Carolina: DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, Fanatics, ESPN Bet, bet365, and Underdog Sportsbook.
Commercial online sportsbooks are tethered to a professional sports stadium or venue. The exception is Caesars, which operates online through its longstanding partnership with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.