North Carolina Eyes Sports Betting Cash for School Coaches
North Carolina’s lawmakers want to tap sports betting taxes to keep high school coaches in-state. Senate Bill 657, dubbed the “Keeping Our Coaches Act,” rolled out last week with bipartisan backing.
Senate Bill Targets Coach Pay Boost
The bill cleared its first Senate reading and now sits with the Rules and Operations Committee. The plan carves out $11 million yearly from betting revenue to hand every eligible public school coach a pay bump of at least $3,000.
The bill’s got a clear aim. Coaches working full-time at schools and earning $3,000 or less in local stipends qualify, state cash tops up, not swaps out, those funds.
Units caught subbing state dollars for local ones lose next year’s payout. If it passes, checks start July 1, just in time for the 2025-26 school year. With no minimum stipend now, per state ed data, that $3,000 floor could make a solid dent.
Betting Bucks at Work
North Carolina’s already spreading sports betting taxes around: youth sports grants and HBCUs got chunks of the $108 million collected since March 2024’s launch, per Gaming Commission stats. SB 657 adds coaches to the mix, and any leftover cash flows to the North Carolina Alliance of YMCAs for youth programs.
It’s a play to keep talent from bolting to states like South Carolina, where coach pay often tops North Carolina’s, per regional salary surveys.
The push tracks a trend. Florida’s tossing around similar ideas, eyeing its $200 million in 2024 betting taxes, per state figures. North Carolina’s $709 million handle in October alone shows the pot’s growing, enough to fund this without breaking a sweat. Lawmakers say it’s about hanging onto coaches who’d otherwise chase bigger checks elsewhere.
The bill’s got a tight window. The session ends on May 15, 2025. It needs to clear the Rules Committee, then the full Senate and House.
If it sticks, 3,000+ coaches across 400+ high schools, per NC DPI estimates, could see fatter paychecks by fall. The $3,000 minimum’s a start, local stipends range from $500 to $5,000 now, and this piles on top.
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