North Carolina Gubernatorial Candidates: their stances on casinos

Josh Stein – Official portrait, 2013 – CC BY-SA

As the North Carolina gubernatorial race heats up, it is crucial to understand leading candidates’ stand on the issue of casinos.

March 5, 2024 is the schedule of the North Carolina primaries. Leading the polls are Josh Stein (current attorney general) for the Democrats and Mark Robinson (current lieutenant governor) for the Republicans.

Here’s a summary of their positions based on recent interviews and statements.

The current North Carolina Attorney General, Josh Stein, has made it clear that he is not in favor of enlarging casino gambling opportunities within the state.

We need to invest in infrastructure, a clean energy economy, good-paying jobs in every corner of the state. Building a more durable economy for our rural communities is a better winning economic development strategy than casinos

Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein

He believes that the focus should be on economic development initiatives like infrastructure projects and a clean energy economy.

Mark Robinson, the current lieutenant governor representing the Republicans, has not taken a definitive stance on the issue of casinos.

He has stated that the decision to bring commercial casinos or video lottery terminals (VLTs) to North Carolina should be left to the voters.

Both candidates have been vocal about their priorities for the state and have not strongly supported casino expansion at this time.

In North Carolina, there are three functioning casinos overseen by two local Native American groups.

Retail sports betting was launched in the state’s commercial gaming market in 2023, giving patrons the opportunity to place wagers at professional sports arenas and facilities.

Effective March 11, 2024, approved sites are permitted to team up with online betting platforms for sports wagers.

Eight companies, including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, ESPN Bet, Fanatics Sportsbook, bet365, and Underdog Sports, have received permission to operate in the sports betting market.

While the candidates may not be enthusiastic about casinos at present, it remains to be seen how their positions might evolve as the election approaches.