Online gambling has yet to come to the great state of North Carolina. Online casinos and online sports betting operators haven’t made their way down the coast from their north counterparts, but there’s hope that could soon change.
Here at PlayUSA, you’ll find everything you need to know about gambling in the Tar Heel state. Check out out review here and come back fo more updates on North Carolina in the future.
Best online casino and slot games in North Carolina
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Legal gambling in North Carolina
| Permitted/Offered? | Notes & Restrictions | |
|---|---|---|
| Land-based Gambling | Yes | Tribal gaming only |
| Sports betting | Yes | Tribal only |
| Online Gambling | No | No laws for or against, but nothing regulated by the state |
| Lottery | Yes | Last East Coast state to legalize – first ticket sold in 2006 |
| Charitable or House-based Gambling | Yes | Bingo and raffles only |
| Minimum Gambling Age | 18 for lottery, 21 for casinos |
What’s happening with North Carolina online casinos?
At the moment, all online gambling — including online casinos — are illegal in North Carolina.
Stay tuned to PlayUSA for latest legalization updates in the state.
Social casino and sweepstakes casino site options
Two of North Carolina’s retail casinos are branded by Harrah’s. Harrah’s (as part of Caesars Entertainment) offers visitors to its website the opportunity to play several of its games for free money. Slotomania, Bingo Blitz, and Caesars Slots are all under the flag of Caesars, and each of those apps offers visitors multiple games. Additionally, North Carolina residents can take advantage of other major social casino sites, like Zynga or Double Down Casino.
Sweepstakes and social casino sites offer online casino games and poker through a dual-currency system, like coins, that allows their classification to remain valid and legal. However, you can still win real cash prizes at these sites.
Another site North Carolinians can use is the MyVegas app, MGM’s offering that allows patrons to play their way into comps, all for free – though racking up enough points to pay for anything significant takes diligence and time. Though there are not any MGM properties within state lines, North Carolina residents and visitors can still earn discounts or vouchers for hotel rooms, food, shows, and other entertainment choices through the site. These are redeemable at any MyVegas partners.
Make sure to check the rest of our website for the latest news on social casinos and new sweepstake casinos.
Sports betting options
Retail sports betting has been legal in the state for a few years now, with bets being accepted at all three of the state’s tribal casinos. Online sports betting came very close to being legalized in 2022 with the Senate approving a bill for it, but it narrowly missed in the House and will now have to wait longer to launch.
Once it passes the House (maybe in 2023?), Gov. Roy Cooper has said he’d sign it into law. The arrival of online sports betting is the first step towards seeing online casinos come to North Carolina.
Expect to see big names like FanDuel, DraftKings and of course Caesars be among the operators to come to the Old North state once it goes live.
Land-based slots options
Below are the options land-based slots players have in North Carolina:
| Property | Location |
|---|---|
| Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel and Casino | Cherokee |
| Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel | Murphy |
| Two Kings Casinos | Catawba |
Online slots options
There is no legalized or regulated online gambling in North Carolina, including for online slots.
As fitfully as the state has expanded its gambling profile, it would be unreasonable to expect anything will happen on this front anytime soon. North Carolina remains a mostly conservative and anti-gambling state, at least on the legislative level. That said, there are no laws specifically banning online gambling in North Carolina.
Operator profile
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is a federally-recognized Native American tribe that resides in the western part of North Carolina.
The tribe was part of the larger Cherokee Nation, but the forced migration of many members along the Trail of Tears split the nation into the large group of Cherokee that now reside in Oklahoma and this group that remained on the reservation land.
The tribe owns the two casinos located in North Carolina. Both are located less than three hours from Atlanta. Their proximity to gambling-starved Georgians has provided an opportunity to profit, even in the face of the Great Recession. However, due to the casinos’ branding as Harrah’s properties, it would seem that the tribe is relying on an established company to manage and operate the day-to-day of its casinos.
Regardless, there is no denying that the casinos have been a boon to tribe members. Each member receives two annual payments that, on average, amount to $3,500 each. These payments are to an area of the state that has, at times, suffered 50 percent unemployment.
Most importantly, tribe children receive these same payouts from their birth. They receive the lump sum out of a trust upon their high school graduation or 21st birthday, whichever comes first. This lump sum is usually well over $100,000 – enough for young tribe members to finance their continuing education or give themselves a solid start.
Responsible gambling in North Carolina
History of gambling in North Carolina
North Carolina fought long and hard against any kind of legalized gambling.
As late as 1982, its governor was quoted as being against the introduction of a state lottery. In fact, North Carolina was the very last state on the East Coast to bring forth lottery gambling to its citizens. They did so in 2005 – and by the slimmest of voting margins at that (the first ticket didn’t sell until March 2006). Even horse and dog racing remain outlawed in the state.
The only other available gambling in the state up to that point was the begrudging existence of one tribal casino. It is on Eastern Band of Cherokee lands, but is operated by Harrah’s. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 opened the door for many states to house casinos on reservation land, but the catch is that each tribe must negotiate an agreement (or “compact”) with their individual state governments, and the standard to which each state must agree is almost entirely up to the state government.
Traditionally conservative states like North Carolina could severely limit the allowed games and still be in compliance with the law. Indeed, until 2012, slots and electronic poker were the only games North Carolina’s government was willing to accept.
However, in 2012, the state government, in a bid to secure more funding for itself, expanded the compact with the Cherokee to allow live dealers, more types of games, and the construction of up to two more casinos in the western part of the state. This amendment has precipitated not only an expansion of the activities of the original casino, but also the construction of a new facility, which opened its doors in September 2015.
Things are going well. The tribe recently announced a $200 million expansion to the original casino. It will add hundreds of new hotel rooms and thousands of square feet of convention space.
The truth of the matter is that these two casinos feed off their proximity to Atlanta. Georgians have few options for gambling inside their state lines. Much like Atlantic City or the casinos bordering Texas, their lifeblood is dependent on legislative stubbornness nearby. And as seen with the decline of Atlantic City, legalization in neighboring states can be devastating.
However, more competition may be on the horizon.
The Catawba Nation is working to build a $600 million casino near Kings Mountain. It would draw patrons primarily from Charlotte. The tribe plans to partner with Hard Rock to bring the venue to fruition, but it still needs approval from the US government and to work out the compact with the state. So, nothing is firm yet, but the Cherokee might not be the only game in town forever.