Charlotte Hornets eye possibilities for sportsbook at Spectrum Center in Uptown

On June 14, when Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill allowing online sports betting in North Carolina, the ceremony was at Spectrum Center, the Charlotte Hornets’ home court. The NBA franchise was part of a coalition with the state’s NFL and NHL teams, among others in sports, that helped win final passage after several years of lobbying.

The Hornets, like their big-league siblings, want sports betting not just because fans who bet watch more of their games and watch more often, but also because the new law provides major venues across the state with the option to open a sportsbook within a half-mile of their arenas, stadiums and tracks.

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Those rights are limited to professional teams and sports venues such as those hosting major golf tournaments and NASCAR races; a licensed sports betting operator is required to run the sportsbook for the team or venue. Since 2019, tribal casinos have been able to offer in-person sports betting. There are three in North Carolina: two that are part of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Harrah’s casinos in Cherokee and Murphy, and one at the Catawba Two Kings Casino’s temporary home in Kings Mountain.

Spectrum Center will soon undergo $215 million worth of taxpayer-funded renovations and, as the Hornets plan for upgrades, a sports-betting site is all but guaranteed. The team would pay all construction costs for a sportsbook.

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