SHREWD BET.

AuthorWashburn, Mark
PositionHEAD WINDS

GAMBLING ON SPORTS IN NORTH CAROLINA IS INEVITABLE. LET'S DIRECT THE HOUSE'S WINNINGS TO THE COMMON GOOD.

Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for states to allow sports wagering, it's a good bet that lawmakers will study the potential rewards in gambling states like North Carolina.

Yes, that's right--like North Carolina. We hide it well, but we're a player, albeit small, in the nation's gaming industry. Casinos thrive in Cherokee country deep in the highlands, and lottery terminals grind away in nearly every convenience store. Every March brings office pools on NCAA basketball that are rumored to attract even the occasional Baptist.

Sports betting will slowly spread throughout the morally conservative South, probably led by Florida. North Carolina was the last Southern state to establish a lottery, doing so in 2005 with then-Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue casting the deciding vote after the state Senate deadlocked 24-24. It has since pumped about $6 billion into education projects, and opposition has waned. Sports betting will likely follow a similar path to acceptance.

Two peculiar situations make sports wagering attractive for North Carolina: One is means, the other, motive.

States such as West Virginia, Mississippi and Connecticut can easily add Vegas-style sportsbooks in their casinos and regulated racing venues. A sin tax will be extracted and handed over to the state.

But North Carolina is well-positioned to cut out the independent operators and run sports betting by itself. It could give the job to the N.C. Education Lottery and run the operations out of its archaic, monopolistic network of state liquor stores. Gamblers could make their wagers at self-serve terminals and pay for their tickets at the counter. State ABC stores already sell lottery "products," and the additional burden would be light.

On to the motive: One weakness of the state lottery is that it's tough to see what the money does. Its impact is largely invisible, commingled with other taxes to serve public and charter-school...

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