AN ACT to prohibit gambling in prediction markets.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 14‑292 reads as rewritten:

§ 14‑292.  Gambling.

(a)        Except as provided in Chapter 18C of the General Statutes or in Part 2 or Part 4 of this Article, any a person or organization that operates any game of chance or any a person who that plays at or bets on any game of chance at which any money, property property, or other thing of value is bet, whether the same be in stake or not, shall be is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. This section shall does not apply to a person who that plays at or bets on any a lottery game being lawfully conducted in any state.

(b)        This section applies to any physical location in this State or any online market or platform offered to residents of this State, including a prediction market. In this section, prediction market means a market or platform where a person can bet on the outcome of a future event.

SECTION 1.(b)  This section becomes effective December 1, 2026, and applies to offenses committed on or after that date.

SECTION 2.(a)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the State Lottery Commission the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2026‑2027 fiscal year to enforce this act.

SECTION 2.(b)  This section becomes effective July 1, 2026.

SECTION 3.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.