NC sports gambling bill on the move

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, the top leader in the Senate's Republican majority, said Tuesday afternoon that Senate Bill 688 will move this week out of the holding pattern it has been in for months.

The movement signals that the measure got a thumbs-up this week from the Senate Republican caucus, a key arbiter for the bill's chances. Sen. Jim Perry, R-Lenoir, the bill's lead sponsor, said there's "a reasonable amount of support in caucus to move forward" with committee discussions, but he expects the bill to morph, as bills so often do at the statehouse.

"Based upon the feedback I've gotten, we should view this bill as a placeholder bill, and it will evolve in the committee process," said Perry. "A tightening up, watering down, whatever you want to call it."

The measure as of now would legalize online and in-person gambling on sports in North Carolina, though with a limited number of provider licenses issued by the state.

Asked whether the bill has enough support to move forward largely as is, Berger declined to predict.

"It'll go through the committee process," he said. "The bill sponsors tell me that there's support for it. We will see."