Well,
hopefully we all are still awake because we're starting the
six o'clock with a big topic for North Carolina.
We are sure that you've seen all the hype, the TV commercials, the billboards,
but in case you haven't heard sports betting is live in North Carolina.
After months of anticipation, those eager to place their bets can find
do so
we thank you for joining us for the news at six. I'm Vanessa Rufus, I'm Colin Ma.
If you haven't heard where you've been, I don't know when it comes to gambling.
There's a lot to go over here though.
There's the economic side of things, what this means for the sports teams,
the health risks associated with gambling.
And also there are a lot of people who are brand new to sports betting
and they have a lot of questions to go along with it.
So, we're getting all of that right now at six,
we're gonna start here by talking with our Miles Harris
who is looking at the sports books for us.
So, what do bets
need to know miles?
Well, for the first thing you need to know is that there's actually, um,
well,
it's really good to look for if you're looking into getting
sports betting here because there's a ton of options here.
Bets.
They can choose from eight different books to really place their
bets and really enhance that fan experience throughout the state.
There's a lot of excitement about this launch.
Sports in the Tar Heels State just got more
exciting with the launch of legalized online sports betting,
the latest edition,
something that's been in the works for years and
sports books enjoying seeing fans place their first bet.
We really are committed to giving a great experience.
And I think that's something that will prove when we enter the market.
Bettors must be 21 and older to place a bet and they must also be physically
in the state and from there, they can choose between eight operators fanduel bet.
MGM draft Kings Fanatics bet 365 ESPN bet,
underdog,
sports wagering and Caesars the first bet
that we're gonna place Panthers legend Greg
Olson is looking forward to seeing the engagement that betting can bring to fans.
And I think it's good for the league. I think it grows interest.
I think it grows en engage engagement
and
I think on both sides of that relationship, it just leads to more growth and more fun.
And ultimately, I think that's the idea,
an idea to keep sports entertaining for North Carolina.
North Carolina is all the buzz right now in the industry as a whole.
It's the biggest market opening up in this calendar year.
Vanessa, the timing of this launch really couldn't be any better.
You got the AC C tournament that starts tomorrow,
followed by the start of March Madness, which kicks off next week.
Just really a lot to look forward here guys.
Yes. And football right around the corner to, to add that miles. Thank you.
And we know there are some people out there who are brand new as we've alluded to,
to sports betting.
Yeah, the process could be pretty confusing for those folks.
There are different terms and their types of bets and
really just a lot of jargon to sort through.
So if you want to learn more, our team is helping you get ahead on that front.
If you scan the QR code, you see on your screen right now,
you will be taken to uh a piece that R Jane Monreal has put together.
It's essentially sports betting 101, it walks you through the basics.
So once again, there's that QR code,
you can also find that right now on our website and inside our mobile app.
But right now we do want to talk about the dollars and cents,
the big business that comes with betting.
The experts say that this could bring millions of dollars into the state.
But where does that money go? Our Lexi Wilson joins us with more on that question,
North Carolina is getting into the game lawmakers anticipate between
50 to $100 million in tax revenue the first year
with some room to grow. So many are saying the odds are looking pretty good
legal taxed and regulated. It's show time for sports betting in North Carolina.
It's excitement. It adds more excitement to the game.
It's excitement that translates into dollars.
Sports wagering operators have to pay a tax rate of 18% for the
being licensed
which results in more revenue for the state.
The law breaks down the money like this.
2 million to the North Carolina Department of
Health and Human Services for gambling addiction,
education and treatment options.
1 million to North Carolina amateur sports to help
create more opportunities for kids to participate in sports.
300,000 for 13 UN C system, athletic departments
and 1 million to the North Carolina Youth outdoor engagement
in.
Let's put aside some of this money to make
sure that people can get the treatment that they need
and that the revenue goes to the people who need it the most.
North Carolina representative Wesley Harris says the remaining money
will go to tourism events in the general fund.
Harris says while it's new money benefiting the state in the grand scheme of things,
it won't solve all the gaps in the state budget.
Our state budget is $33 billion a year. It's not a huge amount of money.
And if you find yourself wanting to place a bet with a licensed sports,
you should feel confident that your money is safe for these operators.
Some advice, people watching this aren't gonna get rich from sports betting,
use those bet credits
practice making bets with, with very low risk.
And there's obviously a lot of sports here in Charlotte.
So lawmakers tell me it's really gonna be the
sports franchise that are gonna benefit from sports betting.
It'll likely draw more people out to
games which will increase advertising and tourism
reporting in uptown for WCNC Charlotte. I'm Lexi Wilson
now.
While there is a lot of excitement right now from some folks,
there are also some concerns about gambling addiction becoming more prevalent.
And because of this, as part of the legislation to make betting legal,
additional state resources were put in place to help those who might struggle WCNC.
Show us.
Nick Sturt
talks to some licensed clinical addiction specialist specifically about
the risks and what you should look out for.
I, I wanna throw this out there. I mean, I, I just saw an ad for online sports betting.
I feel like I run across them every day.
You can't avoid them either if you're watching a
podcast on youtube or whatever content on youtube,
you're streaming something on your TV.
It's concerning, uh you know, they're,
they're saturating the market, obviously. Um
And, and like you said, they're, they're exploring all avenues to do so,
bright lights, big celebrities.
This is fun. This is exciting
and then at the very end of those commercials, just real quick.
1,
800 Gamblers Art and Christina Close
are both licensed clinical addiction specialists.
They run coastal therapy center LLC.
And now we have sports betting that is just in your fingertips,
uh, which makes it difficult to walk away from.
So there's no, oh, I have to leave here and go home or I have another responsibility.
It's just in my hands at all times.
People tend to detach themselves because it is online.
It's on an app on your phone, but you're, you're losing real money.
Um, and, and there's, you know,
there's that high that you feel when you are winning and what I'm hearing is
just be aware of like your personal finances and
again, what you're spending right there, there's thousands of people that can,
that can safely gamble.
Um,
but, but the awareness, like,
like we said is key and anybody can fall victim to gambling.
Um, there, there's no boundaries.
Art and Christina tell us, don't be afraid to reach out for help.
Here's that number for the North Carolina gambling.
Our problem gambling help line 8777185543.
That resource is free to anyone who needs it.
We also have this online at wcnc.com. You can
reach that whenever you need it
and there's a lot of focus today on the consumer.
But what about the teams at the center of these bets? Yeah.
Remember each of these sports books has an agreement with a
team league or sports venue to operate in the state.
So we're bringing in now our sports director, Nick Carbone.
So what are the rules about athletes themselves? Betting on sports? Yeah, Vanessa.
That actually varies, depending on which league they play in.
Let's start with the NFL where we have seen
several players suspended over the last few seasons for six games all
the way up to a full season or indefinitely for betting.
The big takeaway here is that NFL players are not allowed to bet
on NFL games or any NFL events like the draft or the combine,
but they can bet on other sports, but they can't do that,
can't bet on anything while at a team facility or a venue.
All NFL personnel,
other than players are not allowed to bet on sports at all and nobody
affiliated with the NBA can bet on the NBA or any of its properties including
the W NBA G league or even the NBA two K video game league
players can bet on other sports as long as they are doing it legally.
And somewhere where it is allowed legally betting inside of a
team facility is actually not a factor in the NBA.
So
there is a lot is something, a lot of people around here are betting on.
We've heard from local fans who can't wait to bet on Charlotte FC for the players.
Obviously that's a no go MLS players cannot bet on MLS matches.
In fact, they cannot bet on any soccer of any kind.
For instance, a Charlotte FC player cannot bet on an English premier League match,
but they can gamble on other sports if it is legal and they're in a legal place to do so.
And we're gonna see a lot of betting on NASCAR at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
And otherwise the sport was actually pretty proactive
about setting up rules about five years ago,
drivers or any members of NASCAR teams or an organization cannot bet on races,
can't even bet on themselves.
They can bet on other sports outside of NASCAR.
However, and of course,
March Madness is coming up and sports betting is here just in time for that
in North Carolina. So we look at, took a look at some of the rules for NC
athletes
and it boils down to this. Athletes cannot bet on a sport at any level, amateur or pro
that has an NCAA sanctioned championship.
So an athlete could not bet on March Madness, of course.
But also the NBA because there are NCAA basketball championships.
So that's gonna cover most sports because there are NC A
championships in just about every sport you can think of basketball,
baseball, football,
et cetera. So
varies, league to league. And, you know, we'll see how it goes.
As I said, a lot of NFL players so far or, you know,
a handful have been popped for illegal sports betting in their league.
Yeah.
And so you talked about kind of like the do s and don't,
but how are the teams here in Charlotte actually
trying to educate their players and athletes about,
um, these rules?
Yeah, that's very important right now,
especially because we're being inundated with sports betting.
Right. So I reached out to a lot of our teams about that.
The Hornets,
they actually have somebody from legal affairs available
and dedicated to all sports betting matters.
The NFL reviews its policy every year with personnel.
The Panthers have had people from the league in Charlotte. 49ers.
Tell me,
they educate players on each team at the beginning of every year and
those players have to sign off on their understanding of that policy.
They also send reminders to staff and athletes around every major sporting event.
So you can bet they're doing that right now for March madness.
And we know NASCAR employees actually got an email reminder
today about the D OS and don't in NASCAR.
So, yeah, that's a big part of this too because the rules vary and even in the NFL,
you can bet on other sports,
you can't do it from the building and a lot of players don't understand
that and that's why they get in
trouble with great power comes great responsibility.
Absolutely. All right, Nick, we'll see you soon. You got it.