North Carolina – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations

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In North Carolina, you don’t have a lot of options when it comes to land-based gambling. Casinos are only legal on Indian Reservations. In the rest of the state, gambling is prohibited. On a positive note, we can safely say that the few tribal casinos are absolutely worth a visit. They offer a fantastic game selection and all sorts of other amenities. We will go into more detail about this later on in this guide. Remember that the legal age for gambling at one of the Indian Reservations is 21. 

Unfortunately, online casinos are illegal in North Carolina but many residents of the state are playing at foreign-based casino sites. We are not aware of any actions of the state against this. You should still make yourself aware of the legal situation and note that gambling under a foreign jurisdiction can involve certain risks.   

• Check the jurisdiction of the online casino beforehand
• Does the casino accept players from North Carolina?
• Do you have access to the accepted payment methods?
• Is the casino properly licensed to ensure fair gaming?
• The minimum age for gambling in North Carolina is 21

We recommend checking out our GoodLuckMate top lists and casino reviews to find out more about suitable online casinos for players from North Carolina before signing up.

Gambling Regulation

Casino gambling is illegal in North Carolina for the most part but there are some exceptions to this rule. There are two Indian tribal casinos and an Indian bingo hall. These facilities are owned and operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina. Another Casino resort, called the Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort, at King's Mountain is under construction by the Catawba Indian Nation. It is supposed to open its doors in the spring of 2021.

Currently, the Indian reservations are the only areas of the state with legal gambling facilities, except the state lottery. In 2019, North Carolina took the first step towards legalizing all forms of betting throughout the state. The House of Representatives passed the so-called Bill 154. Now sports betting and wagering on horse races at tribal casinos is fully legal as well. 

Online gambling is illegal in North Carolina with two exceptions. You can play daily fantasy sports and the online state lottery. Online casino games or online sports betting are not permitted. These types of games are exclusively allowed at the land-based tribal casinos. 

Localized Online Casinos

It is important to understand that online casinos are technically illegal in North Carolina. You can, therefore, still sign up at foreign-based sites but typically they do not provide any special promotions for players from the US. The good news is that you can make use of international bonus offers. Generally, the default language of all international online casinos is English, which makes it easy for players from the United States to get started. English-speaking support is available via live chat and email. 

Gambling with US Dollars

Playing for US dollars is not a problem in the state of North Carolina. All tribal casinos accept the local currency. There you can play slot machines and table games such as roulette, craps, baccarat, poker, and blackjack. Sports betting is also available at these locations. Obviously, the national lottery can be played with US dollars, too, both offline and online. Many foreign-based online casinos that accept players from North Carolina support US dollars as a currency as well. 

Casinos in North Carolina

In North Carolina, you can legally play at two tribal casinos and one tribal bingo hall. A third casino is under construction and will be finished in 2021. At the Cherokee Reservation, you have access to the Cherokee Tribal Bingo Hall. It is open Wednesday through Sunday and can host up to 1,000 players. Not far from it is the Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort. It is located 50 miles southwest of Asheville at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The resort has more than 1,100 guest rooms, a ginormous spa facility, 24 bowling lanes, an event center with 3,000 seats, and 10 restaurants. The selection of casino games doesn’t disappoint either as you can choose from around 3,500 slot machines and more than 100 table games.

The second tribal casino is the Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Hotel & Casino. It is located on tribal land in the western North Carolina mountains near U.S. 19/74. This casino is a little bit smaller but still offers more than 70 table games and 1,000 slot machines. The hotel has 300 guest rooms and a food court with five different restaurants. As previously mentioned, the Catawba's Kings Mountain Casino is currently under construction, but it will be by far the biggest entertainment facility in the state once it is finished. International online casinos that accept players from North Carolina are usually located in Curaçao, St. Kitts, Anjouan, and Costa Rica, for example.