Your Guide
You can play for real money at North Carolina Online Casinos. Though online casinos are not explicitly prohibited in state law, nor are they permitted. Online casinos are based offshore and accept North Carolina players.
Land based North Carolina gambling is limited at best. Although there is a wide variety of gaming that can be offered, there are only two land based Native American casinos.
Online Gambling
- Offshore online casinos accept players from North Carolina
- There are no state regulated online onshore operators
- North Carolina Education Lottery holds monopoly on land based and online lottery products.
- Indian licenses available for land based casinos based on Tribal territory
Best 5 North Carolina Online Casinos
Whether you are new or an experienced online casino player, you can use our recommended list of casinos to gain the best playing experience.
| CASINO | RATING | BONUS | PLAY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
El Royale Casino
|
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|
250% up to $12,500 Welcome Bonus |
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| 2 | 
Bovada
|
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|
100% up to $3,000 Welcome Bonus |
Play Now |
| 3 | 
Vegas Casino Online
|
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|
400% up to $10,000 Welcome Bonus |
Play Now |
| 4 | 
Slots Empire
|
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|
220% up to $12,000 Welcome Bonus |
Play Now |
| 5 | 
Red Dog Casino
|
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
|
225% up to $12,250 Welcome Bonus |
Play Now |
Online casino activity is currently available and offered through various sites that are based offshore. These sites are safe and secure to play at, with no risk posed to North Carolina players, both regarding legality or to player data protection.
The best online casinos all use the latest SSL internet technology, and feature secure payment methods that are common, trusted and processed by reputable financial institutions. These include: VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Bitcoin (BTC), direct wire transfers and many other methods.
Casino Bonuses are extremely important in selecting an online casino. We have therefore displayed some of the best casino bonuses that can be found whilst balancing other important criteria such as safety and security as previously mentioned. However, for ease of reference, we have listed them according to the size of bonus.
Without doubt, at the time of writing, El Royale Casino offers the best casino bonus deal. It is also one of the safest. Coupled with excellent customer service, El Royale is our top recommended online casino for North Carolina players.
Sports Betting
Sports betting has yet to be legalized, and thus remains unlawful for onshore operators to accept any sports wagers.
Senate Bill 154 was approved by Governor Roy Cooper allowing for Harrah’s Casino to bet on professional and college sports games. Mobile and online sports betting was not considered or included in the Bill that was past.
Online sports betting sites, however, do exist and they are based offshore. They accept North Carolina bettors, with no precedence of any bettor being informed of a breach in law, let alone charged with a misdemeanor or felony.
Daily Fantasy Sports
Daily Fantasy Sports is growing fast in popularity. New to the gambling scene, it is considered a game of skill by many which requires bettors to create a fictitious team based on real players. The performance of the real sports players in real life determine how successful the fictitious team is. As a result, it truly is those with the most “skills” will win.
The two dominate daily fantasy sports providers is DraftKings and FanDuel. On this site, we do not actively promote daily fantasy sports as we understand that it is a game of “skill” which is being exploited by bettors who have the best risk modelling. That is, it isn’t nearly about how well you know your sport, the sport players etc, it is very much about who has the best statistical model and who has access to the most detailed sports player data.
As someone who may be a big fan of sport, and thinking that they would have a good chance of winning money in DFS, think again. You are pitted against statistical modelling experts who deliberately target games that mostly have new players to DFS. In fact, it has been alleged that those who are extremely good at DFS have been known to collaborate among themselves and not compete with each other. Thereby creating a sustainable winning formula shared by the experts.
We therefore want our readers to be aware that DFS is not what is appears to be. In fairness, DFS is legal in North Carolina and many DFS onshore operators accept North Carolina players.
Top 3 North Carolina Online Bingo Sites
North Carolina bingo laws are stipulated under Charitable gaming state legislation. These laws provide for the licensing of non profit organizations to operate bingo games. At present, these laws do not address nor permit online bingo by onshore operators. Accordingly, online bingo sites that do accept North Carolina players are based offshore (which is the same as online casinos and sports betting sites).
The recommended online bingo sites all accept players from North Carolina. They offer advanced features that include instant messaging, fun bingo games and protocols that ensures bingo participants play together in a civil enjoyable manner. Due to the social aspect of bingo, there is a cultural aspect to bingo which cannot be found with casino or sports betting. As an example, A LOT of acronyms form part of instant chat messaging. If you are not familiar with online bingo lingo, do not be afraid, learning it is one of the most fun parts!
North Carolina Casinos
Unfortunately there are no casinos in the largest cities of Charlotte and Raleigh. With only (technically) two casinos that are Native American run by the Cherokee tribe, there are no other opportunities within the State.
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort
777 Casino Drive Cherokee, NC 28719
Harrah’s is the largest casino in North Carolina spanning over 150,000 square feet. It has all the gaming action that you would ever need. With literally thousands of electronic gaming machines that covers a wide range of denominations, you will never be able to stop playing. They partner with all the big names of gaming machines – Konami, Arisocrat, Scientific Gaming and Everi.
The also have over one hundred tables. Offering all the player favorites of Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Three Card Poker and many more. If you like the Asian feel, of going crazy when you win, then head over to the Le Fu Men gambling den. Play Baccarat and bend the cards like nuts, and of course play blackjack and scream through the top your lungs for the dealer to bust.
In addition, Harrah’s has an adjacent 21 storey hotel that offers over a thousand luxury suites. Be a guest and enjoy the outdoor pool and relax sipping on a few cocktails.
Legal Minimum Gambling Age
- The legal minimum gambling age in North Carolina is 21 for casino games.
- The minimum age for bingo and raffles is 18.
Gambling Laws
- The State Lottery offers online ticket sales
- Online onshore operators are prohibited
- Commercial casinos are prohibited
- Land based tribal casinos are authorized to operate slots, table games and gaming machines
- Charitable organizations lawfully operate bingo and raffles.
- Sports betting remain illegal despite efforts to legalize.
Gambling Taxes
Lottery surplus is circulated to fund educational purposes.
Regulation and Governance
- Department of Public Safety
- North Carolina State Lottery Commission
Gambling Legislation
- North Carolina State Lottery Act (H. 1023) 2005
- Appropriations Act (§ 622) 2005.
North Carolina Gambling Developments
Background
- Legislation on gambling is particularly strict in North Carolina with consensus towards crack-downs, rather than liberalization.
- Land based casinos are limited to Tribal territory via the Cherokee Tribal Casino and Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel.
- North Carolina Lottery launched its online platform in December 2013.
January 2016
The Education Lottery Commission awarded contracts for the establishment and operation of a new gaming system and instant ticket services. IGT won the gaming systems contract which will stand for 10-years and Scientific Games won the 8-year contract to provide instant ticket services. Both contracts are scheduled to begin on 1 April 2017.
March 2017
The Education Lottery Commission announced it would expand its product offering to include Keno as of 15 October 2017. Initially, 500 retailers will offer the game before it is rolled out across the state to around 1,500 points of sale in 2018;
April 2017
Concurrent bills were introduced to the House and Senate to exempt fantasy sports from the definition of gambling and provide for the registration of operators. H 279 and S 589, to be known as the Fantasy Sports Contest Acts, direct the Department of the Secretary of State to license operators and govern the industry. Registration fees were set at 10% of the operators’ gross win from the previous year with a minimum payment of $2.5k maximum of $10k.
May 2017
Legislation to authorize daily fantasy sports was rejected by a House Committee and dropped from the legislature due to concerns it would constitute a significant expansion of gambling in the state.
December 2017
The Lottery Commission considered the authorization of online instant ticket games. The Commission is permitted to expand the state lottery’s product offering provided the product in question is already offered by another state lottery.
March 2019
Senator Jim Davies introduced legislation to authorize land-based sports betting at tribal gaming facilities in the state. SB154 proposes the authorization and regulation of betting on both professional and collegiate sporting events;
Senators Fitch and Lowe introduced SB 165, which would authorize the State Lottery Commission to license and regulate off-track pari-mutuel horse race wagering. Under the provisions of SB 165, operators and venues must pay a $1,000 licence fee renewed on an annual basis; and 20% of betting turnover would be directed to the Commission. The Bill set a target implementation date of 1 January 2020 should it be passed into law.
April 2019
The Senate passed SB154 which would authorize land-based sports betting at tribal gaming facilities in the state. The bill progressed to the House for consideration.
July 2019
Senate Bill 154, a bill to legalize sports betting in tribal casinos, passed the state’s House of Representatives’ Commerce Committee. It will now move on to the Rules, Calendar and Operations of the House Committee. This followed the bill’s passage through the Senate, where it was approved after its second reading. The bill would allow sports betting to be conducted at tribal casinos, betting on horse racing would also be permitted.
July 2019
North Carolina’s House of Representatives has passed legislation that will form a consolidated state commission that will assume responsibility for regulating all gambling-related activities in the state.
The recommendation was included in a second bill, H 929, and the proposed Gaming Commission will incorporate duties and powers current held by the state lottery commission along with those of state law enforcement agents that oversee non-profit bingo and raffles. Earlier proposals contained in the original Bill, SB 154, that would have formally legalized fantasy sports were not included in H 929, and proposals to conduct a feasibility study into the state offering video lottery games were also dropped from the recommendations. Instead, a new study will focus on the pros and cons of authorizing sports betting.
A bill to include sports betting in the list of Class III tribal gaming products was forwarded to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper after it was approved by the state’s House of Representatives. Senate Bill 154 would bring sports betting to the state but restrict it to tribal operators with existing Class III facilities, which meant two venues operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Governor Cooper signed SB154 into law. The bill will allow for “the placing of wagers on the outcome of professional and collegiate sports contests” on “Indian lands within the State lawfully permitted to conduct Class III gaming activities”. It will not permit off-premises mobile betting.
September 2019
North Carolina’s legislature passed a bill to conduct a study into expanding sports betting and the establishment of a new regulatory body in the state. The bill must still be ratified by Governor Roy Cooper before passing into law. Research will be conducted into the effects of creating a gaming commission and expanding sports betting beyond tribal lands. It will present its findings to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee by April 15, 2020.
FAQ
Is it legal to gamble real money online in North Carolina?
Gambling laws vary for each type of game. Online games are not permitted to be offered by onshore gaming operators. As a result, online operators are based offshore at regulated and licensed jurisdictions. North Carolina players are accepted by the offshore operators. In regards, to player legality, the laws neither explicitly declare online gambling as illegal or legal. As a result North Carolina players can continue to enjoy playing online games.
What is the legal minimum age to play at online casinos?
Legal minimum ages vary from online casino to online casino, however their requirement is that the higher of the player’s jurisdiction the the online casino’s own legal minimum is taken to be the determine age limit. Therefore, for North Carolina players the legal minimum age is 21.
Are there any land based casinos in North Carolina?
Yes there are two land based casinos in North Carolina. They are both owned by the Cherokee Native American tribe.
Are there any casinos in Charlotte?
There are no casinos in Charlotte.