Share and Follow
LAWMAKERS are pushing for a new bill that would protect homeowners from being fined by HOAs for certain activities.
The new bill comes after a dispute between a homeowner and their HOA over the homeowner’s gambling inside their house.
Under the proposed law, homeowners will be granted legal protection when gambling on card games, board games, dice, or dominoes on private property.
Currently, betting on those activities, even in the comfort of your home, is illegal in the state.
Those caught doing so could be fined or have the game broken up by law enforcement.
Under the current law, “any person or organization that operates any game of chance or any person who plays at or bets on any game of chance at which any money, property or other thing of value is bet, whether the same be in stake or not, shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.”
Republican Representative David Willis called the at-home gambling sessions “harmless fun” and argued that no one should get in trouble, local NBC affiliate WRAL reported.
“Nobody’s betting the farm,” he said.
“Nobody’s losing a mortgage. Folks have been getting together and doing this long before any of us were alive and they’ll continue long after we’re gone.”
Willis is pushing for the proposed legislation after dealing with an issue between a Union County resident and their HOA.
The bill passed the House Judiciary Committee in North Carolina on April 1.
With a 7-3 vote, the committee approved to advance the bill to the House Rules Committee.
Opponents of the bill say that it needs to be rewritten so residents don’t start running large at-home casinos.
“The way this bill is written … you can open this up to casino-style gaming tables across the state, possibly inadvertently,” Representative Dean Arp told WRAL.
The republican representative noted that the bill allows gambling in a community clubhouse or a nondescript “similar structure.”
Arp said the bill isn’t necessary as he doesn’t know anyone who got arrested for gambling at home.
Democratic representative Pricey Harrison also said the bill would need to be rewritten.
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do and I understand it’s crazy that you can’t play poker and exchange dollar bills or whatever the stakes are in your house or in your clubhouse,” Harrison said.
Overview of House Bill 424
The new bill would create a new exception to the prohibition on gambling to allow engaging in board games or card games where money or other thing of value was exchanged, if the games are played in a private residence, home, or community clubhouse and the following conductions are satisfied:
- No mechanical or electronic devices are used.
- No person receives any direct or indirect financial benefit other than personal winnings.
- The host of the game does not receive any direct or indirect financial benefit other than personal
winnings. - The risks of losing or winning are the same for all parties
“But at the same time, I do have concerns … about how this is being interpreted and potentially expanded to something that you all aren’t intending.”
Willis conceded and said he’d be willing to discuss altering the bill’s language to close any dangerous loopholes.
The new bill comes just one year after North Carolina legalized sports gambling.
After legalizing sports betting, residents bet over $5 billion in 2024, according to WRAL.
In December alone, gamblers spent over $629 million on bets.
