North Carolina can support as many as nine Las Vegas-style casinos with gambling throughout the state, including one in the Asheville area, according to a report commissioned by the General Assembly.
The new casinos would be in addition to the three already operating on tribal lands, an independent consultant, Spectrum Gaming Group, told lawmakers in a 2020 report that received little attention outside Raleigh.
The sports betting proposal is expected to resurface in the legislative session starting Jan. 25, and if it passes, other forms of statewide gambling could follow, legislators told Asheville Watchdog.
Last year, online sports betting was the only gambling proposal to gain serious traction in the General Assembly, passing in the Senate but failing in the House by just three votes.