A North Carolina budget proposal expected to be included in the state’s broader budget package would raise the tax rate on sports-betting operators to 23%, WRAL reported.
WRAL also said the state had collected more than $300 million in taxes from regulated sportsbook operators at an 18% rate after online sports betting launched in March 2024.
In the first 12 months after residents were permitted to place bets on phones and computers, a UNC law blog reported North Carolinians wagered $6.6 billion, and the state took in over $120 million in taxes from March 2024 through February 2025.
According to WRAL, UNC and NC State had been left out of distributions from taxes on sports betting operators that flowed to other UNC System schools, despite the broader payments supporting athletics departments.
WRAL described an earlier distribution approach that began by allocating the first $8.4 million from sports-betting operator taxes to purposes including gambling addiction treatment and education, two statewide youth sports programs, and athletics departments at 13 UNC System schools.
Under the proposal reviewed by WRAL, UNC and NC State and other listed schools could receive up to $5.8 million annually, beginning July 1, 2027, under a revamped distribution model that would start with a smaller $4.5 million tranche for offset costs and related programs.
