North Carolina Lifts Sports Betting Tax to 23%, Adds 6% Prediction Market Levy
Updated
Updated · Carolina Journal · Jul 10
North Carolina Lifts Sports Betting Tax to 23%, Adds 6% Prediction Market Levy
3 articles · Updated · Carolina Journal · Jul 10
Summary
$34 billion budget signed by Gov. Josh Stein raises North Carolina’s sports-betting tax to 23% from 18% and creates a 6% tax on prediction-market operators.
2026-27 sports-wagering tax revenue is projected at $206 million, up from $161.2 million under prior law, with the General Fund taking the biggest gain at $126.1 million.
Public university athletics gets a larger share: NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill are added at $3 million each, while nine other UNC-system programs rise to about $3 million apiece.
Prediction markets are expected to generate about $1 million in 2026-27, but lawmakers and gambling critics objected to folding the policy into the budget and taxing those platforms below sportsbooks.
A separate bettor tax change lets itemizers deduct up to $2,000 in gambling losses, a move Fiscal Research says will cut General Fund revenue by roughly $19.7 million to $23 million a year.