With three major sports teams, one of the best university programs in the US and a love for stock-car racing, one would’ve thought The Old North State and sports betting was the perfect match.

Yet, while the launch of sports betting in North Carolina is just around the corner, the legislature on the table will see an industry limited both in form and reach.

Read on for all the very latest goings-on in NC and what to expect of the proposed framework.

Lawmakers have approved bill SB 154, paving the way for sports betting to take effect in the Old North State in the not too distant future.

The first legal wager will be placed at one of the two tribal casinos to house sports betting - the state’s Eastern Band of Cherokees - the Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River.

As yet, the bill fails to hint at any intention to introduce mobile wagering further down the line. This leaves bettors in NC able to bet on tribal grounds only.

The casinos mentioned are thought to launch sportsbooks operated by one of William Hill, Caesars or DraftKings.

• Legal to bet on professional and collegiate sports, including those in NC
• Bill SB 154 to allow for horse racing betting at the casinos
• No mobile or internet sports betting

There’s not getting away from the underwhelming feel of the sports betting bill in North Carolina - it’s a tentative start to say the least.

It raises the question as to whether there’s much desire to expand beyond just two tribal casinos?

Bettors in Charlotte face a six hour round trip to and from Harrah’s Cherokee

You’d like to think so considering the substantial distance between the tribal casinos and the most populated parts of NC. Bettors in Charlotte face a six hour round trip to and from Harrah’s Cherokee - surely this is too much to ask of people just looking to place wager.

Additionally, it’s hardly a great sell in trying to prise bettors away from an unregulated online market. Many will choose to risk what comes with betting illegally online over spending half their day travelling across the state - as bad as it sounds, this is the reality.

With gambling in NC already present in various forms, i.e state lottery, horse racing, live poker, slot machines, in addition to a strong core of major sports teams, the general view is of mobile sports betting in North Carolina eventually becoming a thing.

Any which way North Carolinians look, there’s a sports team representing the state be it major league, minor league, university. Not to mention Pinehurst resort, host of many a golf major and of course NASCAR, the official state sport.

NFL outfit Carolina Panthers have won several division championships and reached a Super Bowl in 2003, despite only coming to existence in 1993.

Following a more than successful scholarship undertaken in North Carolina, Michael Jordan was always destined to ‘come home’ to the state that helped him become the greatest NBA player of all time. Now as the principal owner of Charlotte Hornets, MJ is closing in on a decade at the helm. The franchise have yet to ever win a trophy but as we all know, this man doesn’t do quitting.

The Hurricanes became the first pro side from North Carolina to win their sport’s highest championship

The eldest of the state’s pro sides is arguably the most successful. The Carolina Hurricanes have a couple of championships to their name but most notably achieved the pinnacle with their Stanley Cup triumph in 2005-06. In doing so, The Hurricanes became the first pro side from North Carolina to win their sport’s highest championship.

The state’s three pro teams may fill most of the column space in the Charlotte Observer et al but not to be outdone are the university sports teams.

North Carolina is renowned for its college basketball having constantly churned out some of the most successful teams and players in both the men’s and women’s game.

The Carolina-Duke rivalry especially, played between the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels Athletic teams, is considered one of the iconic battles bar none in US sport.

The Tar Heels have won seven mens’ college NCAA championships with the program famous across the states for producing talent, most notably NBA great Michael Jordan and former LA Lakers forward turned commentator, James Worthy.

It’s thought the bright red clay of North Carolina’s Piedmont played a key role in the idea of racing in the state, with the clay regarded as the ideal racing surface.

Who was to know how big the sport was to become though. From what started out as small competitions between friends, developed into organized events and eventually the inaugural NASCAR season in 1948 where North Carolina hosted 30 of the 58 races scheduled.

From the offset, it was the Old North State producing the best, teams, cars and drivers and setting the standard across the board. The fact the sport is as big and popular as it is solely down to the love of racing in the state and this was recognised in 2010 when Charlotte racetrack became the home of the NASCAR hall of fame.