North Carolina’s governor has signed a revenue-sharing agreement with the Catawba Indian Nation that clears the way for Las Vegas-style gaming to be offered at a planned resort in Kings Mountain. Yes, there are 2 casinos in North Carolina! Review of Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino Reviewed May 2, 2017 I live on the border of NC and SC and had no clue there was a 2nd casino in the state.

• Year North Carolina Regulated Gambling: Bingo (1945), Cherokee Casino (1997), Lottery (2005)
• Estimated Tax Revenue from Gambling: $506 million
• Estimated Gambling Revenue: $1.85 billion
• North Carolina Gambling Age: 18 for lottery, 21 for casinos, no minimum for bingo and raffles
• Smoking ban: North Carolina bans smoking in all indoor business. It does not apply to Cherokee’s casinos.
• North Carolina Online gambling: No forms are legal

North Carolina gambling is almost non-existent. There are two North Carolina casinos located in the Smoky Mountains. Each resort is on land belonging to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The original Harrah’s Cherokee casino only offered slots that required skill, video poker, and electronic table games. Harrah’s Cherokee casino expanded into a massive resort with full table games in August 2012. The Cherokee Indians put a plot of land into trust near Murphy. A North Carolina casino opened on that property on September 2015. The casino is much smaller than the sprawling resort in Cherokee.

There are only two other forms of gambling that are legal in North Carolina. Charities may offer bingo and raffles with limitations on frequency and prize values. There is also a state lottery.

There were times that gas stations and bars offered video poker. Those games were phased out in 2006. Sweepstakes machines that resembled video poker and slots appeared for years after that. Those devices were eventually banned under state law.

Paying Gambling Taxes in North Carolina

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North Carolina Casinos Map & Guide

• Harrah’s Cherokee
• Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River

• Number of B&M Casinos: 2
• Number of Poker Rooms: 1
• Number of Indian Casinos: 2

Types of North Carolina Online Gambling Allowed

There are no forms of legal online gambling in North Carolina. Online poker, casino and sports betting sites that accept North Carolina players are not licensed.

Daily fantasy sites accept players from North Carolina. The assertion by these companies is that the contests are skilled games and not gambling. While many other states have declared otherwise, North Carolina officials have not done so. DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo!, and CBS Sports are the major daily fantasy sports sites that accept players from North Carolina.

Types of Live North Carolina Gambling

• Slots: Yes
• Blackjack: Yes
• Poker: Yes
• Craps/Roulette: Yes
• Horses: No
• Lottery: Yes

There are three types of live gambling in North Carolina. The most exciting type are the North Carolina casinos, Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. Both of these North Carolina casinos offer a full range of casino games like slots, video poker, electronic poker tables, craps, roulette, Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker, Let it Ride and baccarat. Harrah’s Cherokee also has a big poker room. These are the only two casinos in North Carolina where these games are legal.

Players on the east side of the state will find riverboat casinos that leave the Little River Inlet. These are just across the state line in South Carolina. The same games are offered on these North Carolina casino boats.

There is a state lottery in North Carolina. Scratch-off and lotto tickets are sold at thousands of convenience stores throughout the state. Games include interstate drawings like Powerball and Mega Millions.

Charities, which include senior, educational, religious, fraternal and veterans organizations, may offer bingo and raffle games. These types of games have very low limits in terms of stakes.

North Carolina Gambling Laws

North Carolina gambling laws had two clashes with gray area gambling. State law addresses these issues and others. Video poker found its way through the back door in the 1990’s. The state finally banned these games not long after the state lottery launched. Possession of any video poker device in North Carolina is a misdemeanor. Repeat offenders or those caught in possession of five or more machines commit a felony.

Creative operators rolled out sweepstakes machines in an attempt to replace video poker revenue. The state outlawed these devices. The operation of a sweepstakes café where players enjoy games that mimic slots, and video poker is a misdemeanor.

The North Carolina Lotteryis only permitted to sell scratch-off tickets and hold lotto drawings. These sales may only occur at retailers and not over the Internet.

Charities may only spread bingo twice per week. Prizes may not exceed $500. Raffles may be operated twice per year. The maximum cash prize is $10,000. The maximum non-cash prize is $50,000. Small stakes bingo with prizes under $10 is legal for anybody to operate. This is considered to be a social game.

North Carolina casinos may only be operated on Cherokee tribe land. Electronic games must require skill unless they fall under a raffle or bingo format. Some slots use a lock and roll format, meaning that a player holds reels and re-spins. Keno game must use a double up feature; the game will drop 10 numbers and ask the player if they would like to double their bet.

The minimum gambling age in North Carolina is 18 years for lottery and charity gaming. North Carolina casino minimum gambling age is 21 years. There is no minimum gambling age for charity and social gaming players.

List of North Carolina Casinos

There are only two North Carolina casinos that are only allowed to be operated by the Cherokee tribe. There are other gambling venues that are used for lottery and charity casino events.

Harrah’s Cherokee is a massive resort. It is located in Cherokee, which is west of Asheville and south of Maggie Valley. There are more than 150,000 square feet of casino space and 1,100 hotel rooms. Games include slots, video poker, live poker, electronic table games, electronic poker tables, craps, roulette, Three Card Poker, Four Card Poker, Let it Ride and baccarat.

The second Cherokee casino called Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River opened near Murphy in 2015. The same games are offered at this casino as the main one in Cherokee. The only difference is that it is on a smaller scale. Harrah’s Thunder Valley River is about one hour closer to most parts of Atlanta, the largest market served by North Carolina casinos.

There is a high-stakes bingo hall on the Cherokee Reservation. Below you will find a list of North Carolina casinos with their location and contact information. Use our North Carolina casinos map to better help locate these popular gambling venues.

The only other options for gambling in North Carolina are on a much smaller level. Lottery tickets may be purchased at gas stations throughout the state. There are dozens of bingo parlors in North Carolina. These can operate no more than twice a week.

History of North Carolina Gambling

All forms of gambling were illegal in North Carolina until 1945. That is when the state legalized bingo and raffles for charities. Video poker infiltrated the state in the 1990’s. That is around the same time it became a major industry in South Carolina.

The state legislature tried to address some of the video poker problems in 2000 when South Carolina banned video poker. That is when a moratorium on new machines entering the state was created.

Some operators avoided this by simply transferring serial numbers from one device that failed to a new one. The 2000 law also capped the number of machines to three per establishment. Some operators decided to build video malls full of three machine-rooms. There was also a limit of $10 in prizes. Cash could not be paid. Many operators ignored this law altogether. It was obvious in some establishments because the machines took bills up to $20. Clearly, nobody would pay $20 to win a maximum of $10.

Video poker had to be incidental to a business. Many North Carolina video poker establishments were tobacco shops or small convenience stores. A majority of the money still came from gambling.

Enforcement of video poker laws varied from one county to another. It was up to the sheriff. Paying cash on video poker was only a misdemeanor. It was hardly a deterrent to illegal video poker facilities. Few were busted. Hardly anybody served jail time.

The state legislature had enough of this. It attempted for years to outlaw the games. Video poker operators lobbied heavily and donated to many political campaigns. Voters approved a state lottery in 2005. The following year, the North Carolina Legislature decided to phase out video poker. Businesses were forced to drop to two machines on October 1, 2006. In March 2007, the machines had to drop to one in any business. By July 1, 2007, all machines were forced to go dark. Most businesses unplugged the games once the requirement dropped to one. The courts upheld multiple challenges to the video poker ban.

Creative video poker operators decided to launch sweepstakes cafes. These were internet cafes that spread slots and video poker. Players would buy computer time and get to play free games where money could be won. The legal theory behind the games was that players were not paying to enter the games, they were paying for computer time.

The games first appeared in 2007. The state legislature outlawed them in 2010. The sweepstakes cafes challenged the ban and were permitted to remain in operation while it worked its way through the courts. The North Carolina Supreme Court upheld the ban in 2013. Not satisfied with that ruling, the sweepstakes industry appealed to the N.C. Court of Appeals and lost again.

It was up to local law enforcement to contact owners and demand closure. This caused machines to linger well into 2015 as some sheriff departments were less motivated than others.

The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians negotiated a gaming pact with the state in 1994. High stakes real money bingo with video poker opened in a temporary facility in 1995. Harrah’s Cherokee held its grand opening in August 1997. The games were all slots that required skill, video poker, keno that required skill and electronic table games. A new gaming compact in 2013 permitted live table games to be spread at the two North Carolina casinos. That is when craps, roulette and house-banked table games were rolled out at Harrah’s Cherokee. The poker room maintained its PokerPro electronic tables until 2014. That is when some live tables were installed for higher limit games and World Series of Poker circuit events. The hybrid room remains today.

Harrah’s Cherokee was dry for the first 16 years of its existence. No alcohol was sold. Tribal members approved the sale of alcohol in 2009. It began to pour in 2010. Harrah’s Cherokee and Thunder Valley River do not comp drinks to players.

The Cherokee Indians were able to place land near Murphy into a trust. This permitted it to obtain a second gaming compact for a casino. It is called Harrah’s Thunder River Valley River. It opened in September 2015. The same games are spread at Harrah’s Thunder River Valley River as Harrah’s Cherokee. It is just smaller than the main resort. The two casinos are about one hour apart.

The only other form of gambling in North Carolina is a state lottery. It passed the state legislature on August 31, 2005. It required a tie-breaking vote from Lt. Gov. Bev Purdue in the state senate. Two state senators that were opposed to the lottery were absent. The first lottery ticket was sold on November 29, 2006.

North Carolina Casinos & Gambling FAQ

The minimum North Carolina gambling age is 21 years for casino players, 18 years for lottery players, and there is no minimum gambling age for bingo or raffles.

Harrah’s and its sister casino Harrah’s Thunder Valley River offer slots, video poker, blackjack, craps, roulette and house-banked card games.

Harrah’s Cherokee offers a live poker room. Some tables are electronic. Those are used for lower stake games.

The two casinos are just over one hour apart. The distance is 56 miles.

Yes. It sells scratch-off and lotto tickets.

No.

There are no forms of online gambling that are legal in the state.

The law is silent on the issue. The sites claim to be skill contests and not gambling.

DraftKings, FanDuel, CBS Sports and Yahoo! are the largest sites that accept North Carolina daily fantasy sports players.

No. It was outlawed in 2006. The last legal machines were unplugged by July 1, 2007.

No. The North Carolina Supreme Court and Court of Appeals upheld the 2010 ban initiated by the state legislature.

Harrah’s Thunder River Valley is the closest casino to Atlanta. It is about two hours away.

North Carolina has rigorous regulations regarding gambling. Most forms of gambling are illegal, except for betting in casinos on Native American territory. Occasional bingo and raffle gambling is allowed only if sponsored by non-profit organizations. The North Carolina Education Lottery is occasionally allowed when there’s a lack of education funds.

This article will further explore the laws and regulations of gambling in the state of North Carolina. It will explain in detail which gambling activities are forbidden. Additionally, it will introduce possible gamble locations in the Tar Heel State.

Top 3 North Carolina Online Casinos

Brief History of North Carolina Gambling

Gambling laws have always been strict in the Tar Heel State. Way back in 1749, the state government did not encourage “excessive and immoderate” gambling. They refuted gambling debts higher than £100. In 1753, they also refuted any debts and further prohibited gambling in public. Even thirty years later, these laws did not change. Games called “A.B.C. and E.O. tables” had an imposed tax of £250 in 1785. And in 1791, all games were banned altogether.

During the 18th and 19th century, irregular lotteries were allowed by the government to raise money for a particular cause. For example, one such cause was in 1826 when a judge Archibald Murphey authorized the lottery. His goal was to collect $15,000 to finance a book on North Carolina’s history. However, in 1835, there was a movement against any lotteries, and the government banned them.

The first state lottery was later introduced in the 1960s and legalized in the 1990s. Also, they lifted the ban on raffles and bingo games played for charity purposes. In 1983, the government introduced and legalized beach bingo games but with a couple of rules — one of them being that the winnings could not exceed $10.

Gambling Laws in North Carolina — The Law Overview

We have already mentioned the early history of gambling laws in North Carolina. Additional gambling laws include horse and greyhound racing, casinos, tribal gaming, social gaming, online gaming, and more.

The Old North State (another NC nickname) defines gambling as “operating a game of chance or playing at or betting on any game of chance at which money, property, or other thing of value is bet, whether the same be in stake or not.” Even though this definition sounds simple, it makes any type of betting or gambling illegal. With this definition, the authorities could prosecute individual internet players, despite iGaming not being explicitly unlawful in NC.

For North Carolina’s residents, participating in any type of illegal gambling activity is a Class 2 misdemeanor which can lead to 60 days in jail and/or fines of up to $1,000.

Horse and Dog Racing Laws

Horse racing is illegal in North Carolina, and it has never been legal. Greyhound racing is currently illegal, but it was legal for a short time from 1948 to 1954. The Carolina Racing Association opened the first greyhound racing track in Morehead City in 1948. A year later, Cavalier Kennel Club opened in Moyock. However, in 1954, The North Carolina Supreme Court passed a law forbidding any dog races. The race tracks got shut down because of the allegations that private companies got special privileges.

Daily Fantasy Sports

After an attempt and failure to legalize Daily Fantasy Sports in the Tar Heel State in 2019, there’s no giving up. The government decided that DFS do not attract enough players to be legalized. House Bill 929 (HB 929), which had the intention of legalizing DFS, was rejected by the House Judiciary Committee. The bill had the intention of defining DFS as a non-gambling activity, but the NC lawmakers did not find it convincing enough.

Online Gambling Laws in North Carolina

As the article already specified, no official laws are banning online gaming in North Carolina. However, many states can find loopholes that could lead to believing that smartphones and other electronic devices can be used as gambling devices. More often, authorities prosecute businesses for some form of online internet gambling. Offshore gambling sites could be your best bet if you live in the Old North State.

Social Gambling Laws

Social gambling is illegal based on the Legal Status section, statue 14-293. Any places, such as cafés or private properties, are not allowed to hold any gambling games. There is a ban on internet sweepstake cafés from 2010 that was enforced in 2013 after having some legal troubles.

Private games held on private property are also forbidden. There is a small chance of police authorities raiding any private games, but players should still be aware since there have been such incidents. If you do indulge in such games, be sure to keep the stakes smaller and with no involvement of alcohol, drugs, or weapons.

Charity Gambling Laws

Only licensed bingo operators can organize charitable bingo. Bingo for charity can only operate twice a week, and the prizes cannot exceed $500. On the other hand, small-stakes bingo is legal with prizes no higher than $10, and anyone can operate it. Raffles are only organized twice a year with higher prizes. The highest cash prize is $10,000, and the highest non-cash prize cannot be higher than $50,000. The state lottery is only allowed when education funds are needed.

Tribal Casinos and Gaming in North Carolina

The only legalized casinos in North Carolina are owned and operated by Native Americans. The Native American tribe, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, owns two casinos — Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. Those two casinos are the only casinos in the whole state. They also own one high-stakes bingo parlor.

In 1994, the tribe and the governor reached an agreement called the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Under that agreement, the Indians could build a casino with electronic games requiring “skill or dexterity.” In 1995 and 1997, they opened an interim casino and a permanent casino consequently. In 2012 the casino started offering table games, and in 2015, the second casino opened.

Casino In North Carolina Casino

During the first 16 years of operating, Harrah’s Cherokee did not serve any alcohol on its premises. Members of the tribe finally allowed serving alcohol on the casino grounds in 2009, and they started serving alcohol in 2010.

Where to Gamble in North Carolina?

As we already mentioned, there are only two legal casinos in the whole Old North state, as well as a tribal bingo. All three are owned and operated by Indian tribes.

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort

The casino is located on the Qualla Boundary in Cherokee in North Carolina. Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort is owned by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It opened in 1997, and it is the first legal casino in the state.

In the beginning, the casino only offered video poker for its players and visitors. A tribal bingo parlor opened at the beginning of the 1990s. NC law requires that all games have some skill level. Thus, the casino offers video slot machines. Since 2012, the casino also offers live table games and currently there are over one hundred of them. Additionally, there are daily no-limit hold’em poker tournaments.

The resort has three hotel towers with more than a thousand rooms, which makes it the largest hotel in North Carolina. There is an events center, conference center, café, food court, and a workout center. Their guests can also enjoy an indoor and outdoor pool and a bowling complex.

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River

Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is a casino and hotel located in Murphy, North Carolina. It is just one hour drive from its sister hotel. The complex opened in 2015, and it’s only the second casino in the state. The casino floor operates with more than 1,000 slot games and 70 table games. The hotel has seven floors and more than 300 rooms. The ground floor has a restaurant, a conference room, a workout center, and a bar. Additionally, there are some restaurants like the Panda Express and coffee shops like Starbucks.

Cherokee Tribal Bingo

Casino In North Carolina Mountains

Located in Cherokee, Cherokee Tribal Bingo is on a much smaller scale than Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. It only offers bingo and a seating capacity for one thousand people. The bingo dates are not always the same, but the doors open at 4.30 PM, Wednesday to Sunday. You must be 18 years old to play the tribal bingo. On Super Saturdays, players can win up to $35,000 overall.

FAQ

What is the legal gambling age for players in North Carolina?

North Carolina has a legal gambling age of 21 for casinos. For lottery and charity gaming, the legal age is 18 years old.

Are daily fantasy sports legal in North Carolina?

Daily fantasy sports are not legal in the state of North Carolina.

Is online gambling legal in North Carolina?

Casino In North Carolina On Indian Reserve

There are no strict laws against online gambling, but we recommend that players be careful when they engage in such activities.

Casino In North Carolina Cherokee

Is greyhound betting legal in North Carolina?

No, it is not. Greyhound races and betting on races are illegal since 1954, and they have remained illegal.

What games can you gamble on in North Carolina?

Currently, you can buy lottery tickets, bingo and raffle tickets where all proceeds go to charities. Also, you can legally gamble at the only two casinos in the state.