Playing the best online slots for real money at North Carolina casinos is fun and even profitable if you choose the best online gambling site to play. We know that it can be a chore to find the more reputable and trustworthy casinos to play slots, so we have endeavored to present you with a list, which you will see below. This is just one of the services we provide at Play Slots 4 Real Money.
Top North Carolina Casinos: See reviews and photos of casinos & gambling attractions in North Carolina on TripAdvisor. A compact negotiated between North Carolina governor Bev Perdue and the Cherokee tribe that would allow live dealer table games at the Cherokee casino moved one step closer to adoption, when a bill to that effect was introduced and passed the Senate on Wednesday of last week.
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Online From the Tar Heel State
North Carolina is home to a lot of things. The Appalachian Mountains. NASCAR teams. The North Carolina-Duke rivalry. The Carolina Panthers. It is also “First in Flight” because Kitty Hawk is where the Wright Brothers flew in an airplane for the first time.
The Tar Heel State is also home to six casinos. And they feature 170 table games, as well as 4.330 slot machines. That is rather substantial. And in North Carolina casinos, if poker is your game, you can find it, whether it’s 7 Card Stud, No-Limit Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo or even others. This is one of the fast emerging states in which to enjoy great action at top casinos. The weather is agreeable, and the brick-and-mortar locations of these casino properties give you a chance to enjoy a lot of great mountain air.
North Carolina Casinos Betting Limits
North Carolina casinos can satisfy both low rollers and high rollers. They call for a minimum of $0.01 for a single bet and a $100 maximum. You can get accommodations as well, but they are not as plentiful as they would be in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, so advance reservations are advisable. However, there is nothing substandard about those accommodations.
And they have the ability to play host to large groups, as the surrounding atmosphere is very inviting. Do you want to have your convention somewhere? They’ve got 21,000 square feet of meeting space. Put that together with the lively casino activity, and you have a real winner.
Of the six gaming facilities in North Carolina, the Harrah’s Cherokee is considered to be the largest and most substantial. With over 100 table games and some 3,280 slot machines, it constitutes a sizable percentage of what the state’s casinos have available. Therefore, it is going to attract most of the state’s visitors who are interested in playing slot games and other amusements.
Latest North Carolina Casino News
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Interestingly enough, the venue in second position is also owned and operated by the same entity. That’s Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Resort, located in Murphy, boasting some 70 table games and 1,050 gaming machines.
The Harrah’s Cherokee Resort is a luxury hotel and casino and is less than four miles away from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s located at 777 Casino Drive in Cherokee, NC and can be contacted at (828) 497-7777. So as you can see, there are some very attractive resorts that make for a fun gambling trip, and you can literally start playing as soon as you arrive.
It’s worth noting that it’s the proposed King’s Mountain Catawba Resort that would have the largest gaming floor, with some 220,000 square feet worth of space. It would also be very uniquely positioned to succeed, since it is in the metropolitan area of Charlotte, which is the state’s largest city. The Catawba tribe’s service area includes a lot of counties – Rutherford, Cleveland, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Union, to be precise. But they are awaiting federal legislation that would allow the tribe to work with the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. Such a thing is essentially to actually having the resort built. And they are hoping to create 4,000 or more jobs as well as revitalize the financial fortunes of the tribe. The prominent senator Lindsay Graham from South Carolina, which borders the tribe’s service area, is pushing the legislation in support of the Catawbas.
It’s sort of a complicated issue which involves a dispute over land. And that dispute is taking place with the Cherokees, whose reservation is roughly 80 times the size of the Catawbas. That is the obstacle in terms of them being able to acquire the land to build the casino. That’s where a lot of political interests enter the picture. But if they are able to do that, it really has the potential to change the whole face of casino gambling and activities like slot games, video poker and others within the state.
Play Las Vegas Casino Games From the Tar Heel State
One of the best United States-facing online casinos where North Carolina casino customers can play the best Vegas slots for real money is Uptown Aces. If you live anywhere in the USA, you can use the links and the banners on this slots review website to sign up for Uptown Aces and choose between two different no-deposit bonuses to try out their games for free.
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Do you live outside North Carolina? Feel free to visit our site to find US casinos online by state; European Internet casino gambling sites, Canadian online casinos and UK online casinos, for more information about finding a legal Internet gambling site in your state or country. But remember that you can and should visit the Tar Heel State and get in on the action.
North Carolina Casino Gambling Laws
There are many people that come to the Play Slots 4 Real Money review website to find out about North Carolina ‘online casino gambling laws’ and the USA gambling laws. We do not offer legal advice. You may want to consult an attorney to obtain legal advice on the North Carolina gambling laws.
Sports Bet Legalization
We wil say, however, that there are new vistas opening up for people within the state of North Carolina and those who come in as tourists. In case you were not aware, the United States Supreme Court overturned a federal law that had previously prohibited sports bets – other than the states in which it was legal.
That law was called the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), and it was always the subject of much controversy. New Jersey, which was strapped for revenue and watched as Atlantic City casinos faded a bit, sought to get that federal law overturned in order to open up the door for sportsbooks.
They were opposed by most of the professional sports leagues. But interestingly, once the Supreme Court made its decision to overturn in May 2018, those leagues, and the teams within them, sought to get in on the money. So have the various states. And they have been acting very quickly to get a leg up on neighboring states. On July 26 of 2019, Governor Roy Cooper officially signed a bill permitting sports betting. Initially, it allowed the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (owning the Harrah’s properties) to have sportsbooks on their premises.
Because at least at first, the Cherokees were afforded a monopoly on sports betting, there was no red tape caused by a licensing process. And there does not appear to be any restrictions on what can legally be offered. However, there is still more ground to cover. The new legislation does not deal with the issue of mobile betting (that which is done from smartphones and tablets), which has been so instrumental in propelling the revenues of the New Jersey interests.
It has been pointed out that North Carolina residents won’t find it so easy to go into a retail location and make sports bets, because of the fact that the two Cherokee-owned resorts are a good three hours away from Charlotte, which as we mentioned earlier is the state’s largest population center, not to mention the home to major league sports franchises like the Carolina Panthers (NFL) and Charlotte Hornets (NBA). It is also not very close to the likes of Raleigh, Greensboro, Winston-Salem or Durham, so many of the experts are saying that the sports bet operations will suffer because it takes such an extensive trip to get to the physical locations.
If things get slow, it will be interesting to see what other measures will be taken to improve and encourage business.
- Bingo (1945), Cherokee Casino (1997), Lottery (2005)
- $506 million
- $1.85 billion
- 18 for lottery, 21 for casinos, no minimum for bingo and raffles
- North Carolina bans smoking in all indoor business. It does not apply to Cherokee’s casinos.
- 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 off 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
Did you know that your gambling income is taxable? Learn everything you need to know about paying your taxes on your gambling winning straight from a Certified Public Accountant in our exclusive Gambling Taxes article.
North Carolina Casinos Map & Guide
- Harrah’s Cherokee
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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 Lottery is only permitted to sell scratch-off tickets and hold lotto drawings. These sales may only occur at retailers and not over the Internet.
Charity Gambling Laws
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.
North Carolina Cherokee Casinos
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.
| Casino | Size | Address | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort – Cherokee | 3,500 Slot Machines | 777 Casino Dr. | www.caesars.com |
| Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Hotel & Casino – Murphy | 1,000 Slot Machines | 777 Casino Pkwy | www.caesars.com |
| Cherokee Tribal Bingo – Cherokee | Only Bingo | 91 Bingo Loop Rd. | www.cherokeetribalbingo.net |
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.
New Casino In North Carolina
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.
Native American Casinos
The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians negotiated a gaming pact with the state in 1994. High stakes 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
What is the minimum gambling age in North Carolina?
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.
Does Harrah’s Thunder Valley River have a poker room?
How far apart are Harrah’s Cherokee and Harrah’s Thunder River Valley?
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.
Are daily fantasy sports contests legal in North Carolina?
The law is silent on the issue. The sites claim to be skill contests and not gambling.
What daily fantasy sites accept North Carolina players?
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.