North Carolina’s most powerful sports betting advocate is resigning.
Republican lawmaker Rep. Jason Saine, who sponsored the bill that legalized mobile sports wagering and parimutuel betting, told the Raleigh News & Observer last week that he will leave his House seat on Aug. 12.
The resignation will result in the state’s General Assembly losing a strong proponent of North Carolina online casinos.
Saine indicates he could become a lobbyist
Saine also wrote a letter to Speaker of the House Tim Moore confirming his decision to leave the House in August.
After much contemplation and consideration, I am choosing to step from public life to pursue several unique professional opportunities that have presented themselves.
He plans to work for a mental health company in a multi-level marketing capacity. He did indicate to the News & Observer that he may enter the lobbying sector. A former state legislator must wait six months after leaving office before they can become a lobbyist.
In his letter to Moore, Saine also wrote, “I remain open to exploring avenues where I can contribute to policy development within North Carolina and beyond.”
Saine entered the House in 2011 and rose swiftly to lead powerful committees, most recently the House Appropriations Committee, where he was one of the top budget writers.
While sports betting and parimutuel horse race wagering are now legal in North Carolina, there have been failed movements, supported by Saine, to expand gambling in the state with more casinos and video lottery terminals.
Saine is also a proponent of legalizing iGaming. Last fall, he wrote an editorial for the Charlotte Observer explaining the benefits of legalizing iGaming in the state.
Permitting iGaming would ensure North Carolina maximizes tax revenue now and into the future, regulate and make safe a thriving illegal market, and complement traditional brick-and-mortar casinos.
Moore also leaving General Assembly
All 170 seats in the General Assembly are up for re-election this fall. Saine, who represents Lincoln County, was running unopposed before he resigned. His colleague and fellow pro-legal gambling advocate, Moore, is also leaving the state legislature. Moore is running for Congress.
State Sen. Phil Berger, another advocate of North Carolina casino expansion, has been under fire in his home district, Rockingham County, for backing a plan to rezone land for a casino that included closed-door meetings of county commissioners, including his son. The debate over casino expansion in Rockingham County has turned hostile and litigious.
The North Carolina General Election is Nov. 5.
Hurdles to expanded gambling in North Carolina
An NCSharp survey found that across the state, nearly half of all residents favor casinos. Only 29% oppose the idea.
Some legislators want to limit the types of sports bets that are now legal. In May, Rep. Marcia Morey and Sen. Julie Mayfield introduced bills that would outlaw prop bets on college games. Their actions come on the heels of intense lobbying by the NCAA to convince states to ban those types of wagers in collegiate athletics due to concerns about sports betting-related harassment of student-athletes.
While both bills failed to advance out of committee, imposing limits on prop bets is not an issue that will go away. Time will tell if Saine’s torch to expand gambling in the state is picked up by new lawmakers.
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