By Peyton Majors
Christian Action League
February 23, 2024
One year after a coalition of Republicans and Democrats came together to defeat a casino bill in North Carolina, the issue of gambling appears to be re-emerging for the Short Session in the Spring, but in a slightly different form.
House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger each said this month that casino legalization likely will not come up in the forthcoming session, which begins in late April.
But both Moore and Berger say there is interest within their Republican caucus in pushing a different type of gambling expansion: video lottery terminals, or “VLTs.” The proposal would expand gambling in the state through the current lottery law and place VLTs in small towns and big cities alike, thus making gambling more attainable to North Carolinians. Critics warn it also will lead to more gambling addiction and broken families.
“It’s kind of like updating the lottery,” Moore said of VLTs, according to WRAL. “You already have the lottery, you already have scratch-offs. In fact, you already have those [digital scratch-offs] you can play on your phone right now. So I don’t know that it’s much of a leap.”
The projected revenue from VLTs ranges widely, from hundreds of millions of dollars a year to upwards of $1 billion a year.
“I think there remains interest in looking at options for new sources of revenue for the state, options for economic development,” Berger said. “I do think there is some discussion about VLTs, but I’m not familiar with any specifics about that.”
One possible speed bump, though, is the Short Session, which is expected to last only two or three months.
“Some of that may need a little more runway than what we’ll have,” Berger said.
Even some lottery winners are warning against gambling expansion. The Ramsey Show recently interviewed a man who won $1 million in the North Carolina lottery eight years ago but has already spent it. (In truth, he said, he won about $555,000 after taxes.)
The man, named Steven, said he never stopped gambling. Instead of investing the money, he made more bets.
“I gambled to buy the ticket, right? That never stopped,” he said.
Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League, said VLT expansion is a bad idea for North Carolina.
“Legalizing VLTs will exacerbate issues related to problem gambling and addiction,” Creech said. “Research has shown that VLTs are particularly addictive due to their rapid gameplay and accessibility. By legalizing VLTs, we will be increasing the prevalence of gambling-related harms throughout the state.”
Creech said that he recently spoke at a church about gambling. Afterward, he said he was approached by a man in tears, who acknowledged that he had been a problem gambler.
“He confided that one of the reasons he relocated to North Carolina was to distance himself from the pervasive influence of gambling, which had proved difficult to resist in his previous location. However, his hope for a fresh start was shaken by the recent legalization of sports gambling,” Creech said. “He expressed his fear of succumbing once again to the grip of addiction, especially with the omnipresence of sports betting advertisements across various media platforms, including smartphones. Furthermore, the looming prospect of thousands of Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) in establishments only compounded his anxiety.
“His heartfelt testimony underscores the ethical concerns associated with profiting from an activity that preys on vulnerable individuals and contributes to societal harm,” Creech added. “Prohibiting VLTs signal a commitment to ethical governance and prioritizing the well-being of citizens over financial gain.”