The North Carolina Education Lottery announced it had hired Sterl Carpenter as its deputy executive director of gaming compliance and sports betting. Carpenter will be tasked with creating a sports betting department within the construct of the North Carolina State Lottery Commission.
Pedigree Counts
As one could guess, Sterl Carpenter is not new to the world of North Carolina sports betting and brings 30 years of experience to his new position which should serve him well in preparing the agency for a sports betting launch as early as January 8th, 2024.
“After an extensive search, we have selected an experienced professional to serve in the newly-created role,” Education Lottery Executive Director Mark Michalko said in a statement. “Carpenter has experience in all aspects of regulations and licensing as well as compliance. We’re pleased to have someone with Carpenter’s experience and expertise leading this new gaming program in our state.”
Carpenter brings a wealth of experience as a regulatory compliance manager and has worked his way from the ground up. According to his LinkedIn page, he began as a parimutuel clerk at Newport Jai-Alai while getting his BS in Economics at the University of Rhode Island.
Upon graduating, Carpenter began the first of his 23 years at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut as a table game dealer before assuming several management positions, preparing him for greater opportunities at the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. He would spend eight years at the MGC working as a Regulatory Compliance Manager and ascending to the position of Sports Wagering Operations Manager.
Carpenter’s first day on the job as the deputy executive director of gaming compliance and sports betting began August 2nd and his chief priority will be developing compliance and regulatory policies for the nascent mobile sports betting industry in North Carolina that would ideally be launched in early January but no later than June 14th, 2024.
What Will Sports Betting in North Carolina Look Like?
The state’s three tribal casinos already have sportsbooks available for the betting public but online sports betting had not manifested until Governor Roy Cooper signed HB 347, also known as the Sports Wagering/Horse Race Wagering Bill, on June 15th at the Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets.
“Let’s face it, sports wagering already is happening in our state,” Cooper said. “Surrounding states here and across the country are already taking advantage. … This legislation allows the state of North Carolina to regulate it and to put safeguards on it, as well as provide funding for helping people with problem gambling.”
“This is a historic moment for the state of North Carolina, and this will benefit our economy for generations to come,” Governor Cooper added.
Some of the highlights of the sports betting bill are as follows:
- Appoints the North Carolina Lottery Commission (NCLC) to oversee sports betting licensing and regulations.
- Allows for up to 14 online sportsbook operators. This includes two tribal online sportsbook partners.
- Online sports betting licenses cost $1 million every five years.
- Levies an 18% tax on gross gaming wagers with no deductions for promotional credits.
- Guarantees interactive sports betting licenses to two federally recognized North Carolina Indian tribes — the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Catawba Indian Nation. These tribal licenses don’t count toward the cap of 12 awarded by the commission.
- Operators not partnered with tribes must use geofencing to ensure that people are not located on Indian lands when placing a wager.
- Service providers pay $50,000 for a five-year license and suppliers pay $30,000.
- Advance deposit wagering licensees pay an initial $1 million application fee.
- Advanced deposit wagering licensees pay an annual 1% tax on total parimutuel wagers.
The following eight North Carolina professional sports venues can partner with operators to offer retail sports books at or near their facilities:
- Bank of America Stadium (Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC)
- Spectrum Center (Charlotte Hornets)
- PNC Arena (Carolina Hurricanes)
- Charlotte Motor Speedway (NASCAR)
- North Wilkesboro Speedway (NASCAR)
- Quail Hollow Club (PGA Tour)
- Sedgefield Country Club (PGA Tour)
- Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park (North Carolina FC and North Carolina Courage)
Calculators
