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NC Senate approves sports betting bill

People place bets at the Sports Book at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Leila Fadel
/
NPR
People place bets at the Sports Book at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The state Senate gave final approval Thursday to a bill that would legalize betting on sports and horse racing in North Carolina. The proposal now goes back to the House, where Speaker Tim Moore says he expects a final vote soon.

Democratic Senator Lisa Grafstein says she worries that gambling apps could sue to block the bill's 18-percent tax on betting revenue. That’s because the state constitution caps income taxes at 7 percent.

She proposed an amendment that would cancel sports betting if the tax is struck down in court.

"It would make it nearly impossible for one of the operators to challenge the tax because it would undermine their own license," she said.

The Senate voted along party lines to reject Grafstein’s amendment with Republicans opposed.