North Carolina Votes Down DFS Legalization

This week lawmakers in North Carolina voted down House Bill 929, which would have legalized daily fantasy sports (DFS) within the Tar Heel State.

The bill got held up in the House Judiciary Committee, who voted not to advance the legislation. The bill would have let the state's Lottery Commission to transition to the North Carolina Gaming Commission and establish licensing fees and regulatory rules for DFS companies. Instead, the activity will sit in a grey zone until legislation eventually passes to legalize or criminalize the activity.

In the United States, DFS was largely the only semi-legal way to wager on sports until the Supreme Court threw out the sportsbetting ban. Now, numerous states are working on legalizing traditional sportsbetting, largely leaving DFS in the dust. There are currently nine states that offer DFS in regulated ways, with others operating it in somewhat of a grey market.

While HB 929 appears to be dead and not coming back, there is an opportunity for the service to come back in an additional bill.