Angelina Cockle | January 3, 2023 | Updated on: January 8th, 2024
If you are looking for casinos in North Carolina you have come to the right place. North Carolina is a large state however it has very few casinos in comparison to other states. The mountaineers state is home to 2 federally recognized tribes which own the only casino gambling operations in the state.
In addition to the tribal casinos in North Carolina, there is also a state lottery high-stakes bingo parlor which is still operated by the native Indian tribes in the state as well as the lottery that is run by the state.
The legal gambling permitted in North Carolina is as follows:
- Charitable gambling which includes charity bingos and raffles which are subject to price limitations
- The state’s lottery has a variety of gambling games offered.
- Indian tribal casinos
Prohibited forms of gambling in the state include
- Race track betting of any kind that is horse and greyhound racing
- Commercial casinos that are not tribal
- Sports betting
- Online gambling
Our North Carolina casinos guide is designed to help players in the state to find legal real money gambling games. That is why we have listed all the North Carolina casinos available. Although casino sites are not legal in the state of Carolina, we have put together a casino list that accepts players outside of the state of North Carolina.
Best Casino Sites in North Carolina
Casinos In North Carolina
The two main casinos in North Carolina are operated by the Eastern band of Cherokee Indians which is the only federally recognized tribe in the state. the two casinos are Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley river which or both on the Qualla Boundary area nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort
Harrah’s hotel and casino resort has over 1000 rooms for visitors who want to stay at the casino resorts besides the casino games and slots available at Harrah’s there are fine dining restaurants to cater to all its visitors. although it is a tribal casino its operating licence, he’s held by Caesars entertainment.
Harrah’s Cherokee Resort and casino started off as a video poker parlors when it first opened in 1997 November. after years of fighting for the right to host high-stakes bingo, they finally managed to turn Harris Cherokee resort into a bingo parlor in the early 90s. the governor in that state at the time was very opposed to a casino in the States.
However, the native American community who run the casino resorts have been able to use the revenue from that casino for positive development in the community. the casino has afforded the Eastern band of Cherokee Indians not only new schools but public housing and facilities such as hospital and upgrading the police and Fire Station in the community.
Harrah’s Cherokee resorts casino features
- Slot machines
- Video poker
- Over 100 table games including a 20-table poker card room
- The casino regularly hosts poker tournaments on its premises as well
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino
This is the larger of the two tribal casinos in North Carolina. the resort part of the Cherokee Valley river Casino is smaller having only 300 rooms in comparison to the over thousand found at Harrah’s Cherokee. the casino game League games offered at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley far outweigh the other casino. the casino is newer having been established in 2015 September.
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley river casino features
- 1000 + slots
- 70 table games
Casinos in North Carolina – Bingo Games and Raffles
The first permitted legal forms of gambling in North Carolina besides truck race betting was bingo. in 1982 the Eastern band of Cherokee Indians opened their first high-stakes bingo parlor. Through negotiation with the state they were able to lift the limit on the legally allowed prize amount on bingo games and raffles. when you gamble at Harrah’s Cherokee casino resort you will find an attached high-stakes bingo parlor where you can enjoy bingo games for real money.
Video Poker Gambling in North Carolina
Video poker in North Carolina was once very popular with over thirty-thousand video poker machines at one point. In the year 2000, there was a law that was enacted which essentially band a large number of video poker machines in the state. Video poker machines were limited to three per Select a location. After that more than two-thirds of the existing video poker machines in the state were outlawed.
There was a one-year ban on the game which was eventually extended to a permanent and effective criminalization of video poker machines in North Carolina which came into effect in 2007. The criminalization of video poker in North Carolina lead to the rise of sweepstakes parlors. These are in essence gambling mini lotteries or ruffles which operate in a grey area of the law. There have been some lawmakers who have tried to outlaw sweepstakes parlors but have so far not succeeded.
Race Track Gambling in North Carolina
Horse race betting in greyhound racing was once the only forms of wagering in the state of South Carolina from the early 40s to the 50s. Races were a regular feature which attracted plenty of tourists and Bitters at the tracks.
However, the Supreme Court in 1954 ruled that the state constitution outlawed gambling on horse races and greyhound races. Due to the hard decision, the Morehead City truck where most of the horse races to place was closed and that was the end of horse race betting in North Carolina.
North Carolina State Lottery
As you can already tell North Carolina is not very fond of gambling in the States. However, the state has a lottery which offers a variety of gambling games including scratch card Games and Mega Millions and Powerball games. The lottery was only established in 2005 making it one of the newest lotteries. All proceeds of the lottery go towards the Education in the States funding College aid school new school constructions and paying staffs that work at schools.
Currently, the games offered at the state lottery include the following:
- Carolina pick 3
- Carolina pick 4
- Cash 5
More Casino Guides for other States
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