Axios Charlotte

April 02, 2023
Hello, Sunday! It's Katie.
🌞 Weather: 70 and sunny.
🎈 Happy birthday to Axios Charlotte members Heather Davis, Yvette Savoy, Emily Skidmore, Meg Thomason and Emily Fisher.
Today's newsletter is 595 words, a 2-minute read.
💰 1 big thing: Sports betting in North Carolina
The Carolina Panthers vs. Detroit Lions game at Bank of America Stadium in December 2022. Photo: Grant Halverson/Getty Images
Online sports betting is close to becoming legal in North Carolina.
Driving the news: Last week, House Bill 347 passed in the N.C. House of Representatives 64-45. It'll go onto the Senate, which approved a sports betting bill in 2021.
- Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has said he will sign the bill.
Why it matters: Although sports betting is legal at three casinos in North Carolina, the state "is a largely untapped market" compared with the majority of the country, including neighboring Virginia and Tennessee, which both allow online sports betting, as the AP noted.
Zoom out: Legal sports betting could generate an estimated $28.6 million in revenue within the first 18 months of legalization — an amount critics say is hardly worth it for the damage it may bring, per Axios Raleigh.
Details of the bill:
- It allows betting on college sports, the Olympics, e-sports and pro sports for people 21 and older.
- It forbids betting on youth sports, high school sports and horse racing.
- The state will authorize 10-12 "interactive sports wagering operators" (sportsbooks) and tax them 14%.
- That money would go to athletic departments at public colleges and a new fund to attract major sporting events to the state, per WRAL.
- If signed into law, the measure would take effect Jan. 8, 2024 — the day of the College Football National Championship game.
What they're saying: Rep. Jason Saine, a Lincoln County Republican and lead sponsor of the bill, called sports betting "a form of entertainment, something that consenting adults with their own money should have the right to do," as ABC 11 in Raleigh reported.
- "It is already happening, and ignoring the issue only makes it worse as other states around us continue to legalize it," Saine said, per the station.
- Saine did not respond to a request for additional comment.
💼 Fresh openings from our Job Board
If you're on the hunt for a new job, here are 24 to get you started.
- Merchandise Receiving Specialist at Diamonds Direct. Apply.
- Accountant & Tax Associate at Fisher, PA. Apply.
- Assistant Dean of Students at Charlotte Country Day School. Apply.
- Brand Ambassador at Diamonds Direct. Apply.
- Retail Manager (Part-time) at The Cocktailery. Apply.
- Property Manager at The Spectrum Companies. Apply.
- Reporter/Writer at Charlotte Latin School. Apply.
- Accountant, Staff Payables at E4E Relief. Apply.
- Director of Student Wellness and Academic Support at Charlotte Latin School. Apply.
- Assistant Property Manager at The Spectrum Companies. Apply.
- Assistant Director of Learning Resources at Charlotte Latin School. Apply.
- Accounting Specialist at Coles of London. Apply.
- Director of Middle School Youth Ministries at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Apply.
- Police Trainee at Town of Matthews. Apply.
- Charcuterie Board Builder & Events Coordinator at Babe & Butcher. Apply.
- Police Officer (Lateral/Certified) at Town of Matthews. Apply.
- Bus Driver at Town of Matthews. Apply.
- Construction Lead at Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte. Apply.
- Healthcare Recruiter at FlexCare Medical Staffing. Apply.
- Recreation Leader - Summer Camp at Town of Matthews. Apply.
- Accounting Manager at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Apply.
- Office Coordinator at FlexCare Medical Staffing. Apply.
- Police Telecommunicator at Town of Matthews. Apply.
- Kayak Technician (Seasonal/Part-time) at Catawba Riverkeeper. Apply.
Want more opportunities? Check out all openings on our Job Board.
Hiring? Post a job.
🔥 Hot Job
Brand Ambassador at Diamonds Direct.
- Company overview: Offering one of America's largest selections of certified diamonds and designer jewelry.
- In this role: You will be the face of the brand in the community, and will leverage existing relationships to market the brand through grassroots efforts.
- Must-have: Experience in a position that demonstrated positive influential relationships.
Interested? Apply here.
2. ⚡️ Biz lightning round
Photo courtesy of Corine Olarte
💻 Kingsmen Software has opened its new 16,000-square-foot headquarters at the Gama Goat Building (1701 N. Graham St.) at Camp North End, per a company statement.
- In addition to offices at its new HQ, Kingsmen, which creates custom software products, has outdoor seating, a podcast recording studio, a 12-foot video wall and a speakeasy pub.
🍽️ Charlotte restaurant chain Firebirds has been sold to New York investment firm Garnett Station Partners (CBJ)
- Firebirds was started in 2000 with the StoneCrest restaurant in south Charlotte. It now has 56 locations across 20 states, including locally in SouthPark, Huntersville and at Northlake Mall.
🏀 The weeklong Big South Basketball Championships will not be returning to Bojangles Coliseum next year. (CBJ)
3. 🔌 Improving rural connectivity
Photo courtesy of Corning Inc.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Gov. Cooper were in Hickory last week for two separate announcements about plans to improve broadband access in rural areas.
- Corning Inc. opened its new fiber optic cable manufacturing campus. The company says it will add hundreds of jobs to its existing North Carolina workforce of more than 5,000.
- CommScope said it'll invest an additional $47 million toward expanding its U.S. fiber optic cable manufacturing, including its Hickory facility.
What they're saying: "We have a tremendous opportunity not just to close the digital divide for millions of Americans, but also to revitalize domestic manufacturing industry, make more products and technologies in America, and create good manufacturing jobs here in Hickory and across the country," Raimondo said in a statement.
🥪 Apparently it's National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. I'm reminded of this podcast about sandwiches (!) in which chef Molly Baz discusses perhaps the best way to make a PB&J — with cherry jam and extra crunch peanut butter.
Today's newsletter was copy edited by Amy Stern.
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