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North Carolina Online Casino and Sportsbook Guide
North Carolina online casinos are widely available to residents and visitors alike. This guide to online casinos in North Carolina details the best gambling sites for NC players in categories such as best poker site, best fast payout casino, and best real money online casino.
The guide shares where to find tribal casinos in The Tarheel State as well, and you can also keep reading to learn where to find bingo games in Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and Roanoke Rapids, NC.
North Carolina gambling laws are also covered on the page, which also shares insights into the history of gambling in NC and makes an informed forecast about North Carolina’s expanding gambling landscape.
Disclosure: At GamblingSites.com, our mission is to connect you with the best gambling sites and informational resources available. If you click one of the links on our site, we may earn a commission payment at no extra charge to you.
Best Online Gambling Sites for North Carolinians
- Bovada – Best North Carolina Gambling Site
- EveryGame – Best Real Money Online Casino for North Carolina
- BetUS – Best Sports Betting Site for NC
- Ignition – Best NC Poker Site
- DuckyLuck Casino – Best Crypto Site for North Carolinians
- BetOnline – Best Live Dealer Site for North Carolinians
- Drake Casino – Best NC Bonus Site
- Cafe Casino – Best North Carolina Video Poker Site
Bovada Best North Carolina Gambling Site
Plenty of sites try to be all things to all gamblers, but few succeed like Bovada. It helps that the site has been online for well over a decade. Poker, sportsbook, casino, live dealers—Bovada has everything North Carolinians are looking for in a gambling destination.
Take their sportsbook. The site serves odds in more than 20,000 markets, then goes above and beyond with live betting, bet builders, virtual sports, wagering tips, and team and player stats to help you make your best bet.
The casino has more than 300 slot games, including progressive jackpot slots like Shopping Spree and Mystic Elements (at time of writing, $1.8M and $84K, respectively).
Bovada doesn’t stint on the table games, either. The site hosts 20 tables dealing everything from roulette, blackjack, baccarat, and craps to Caribbean hold’em, let’em ride, and pai gow poker.
And if you like live dealers, Bovada has partnered with Visionary iGaming to bring North Carolina 34 blackjack live dealer tables, along with five roulette wheels (American and European), two baccarat tables, and two super 6 tables.
Don’t forget Bovada’s legendary poker room, where thousands play Texas hold’em, Omaha, and Omaha hi-lo at tables .02/.05 to $2.50/$5. Come for the cash games, stay for the knockout tourneys and the sit & goes. With so many options, it’s easy to see why Bovada is one of the best.
- 81% 71%
- Bonus: 125% up to $3,750
- Visit Site Read Review
EveryGame Best Real Money Online Casino for North Carolina
If you like nothing more than the excitement and action of the casino floor, then you’ll find a home at Everygame Casino.
The site features hundreds of slots—with new games added monthly—including everything from three-reeler classics to five-, six-, and even seven-reel video slots. Everygame also features American and European roulette, perfect pairs, and five flavors of blackjack, including single deck and classic.
Video poker gets the full treatment at Everygame, with double double bonus jackpot poker, deuces wild, and aces & eights being just a few of the choices available. The table games section features everything from baccarat, blackjack and pai gow poker to pontoon, tri-card poker, and Caribbean stud poker. They’ve even got craps and American and European roulette (although you’ll find them under Specialty Games rather than Table Games).
Everygame has two casino floors for North Carolina gamblers—Casino Red and Casino Classic. Flag your favorites and play at Everygame, one of our top picks for online casinos accepting US players.
- 79% 79%
- Bonus: 125% up to $1,000
- Visit Site Read Review
BetUS Best Sports Betting Site for NC
While BetUS has developed into a well-rounded gambling site in the past 25 years, it’s obvious the site is still dedicated to its first love—sports betting. NFL and NCAA games, soccer, ice hockey—even darts—are all available to be wagered on.
BetUS has all the bells & whistles of a world-class sportsbook—live betting (and streaming), odds boost, even prop builders. And their race book covers flat track, steeplechase, and harness racing around the world., as well.
Even esports gets the royalty treatment, with match-ups on everything from Counter-Strike, League of Legends, and Valorant to StarCraft: Brood War, FIFA, and 2K NBA.
BetUS has it all, from esports to NASCAR to collegiate football. If you want to bet the UNC Tar Heels are gonna shellack the Minnesota Golden Gophers (as well you should), BetUS has the odds, the stats, the works.
- 80% 72%
- Bonus: 125% up to $2,625
- Visit Site Read Review
Ignition Best NC Poker Site
Ignition Casino has partnered with one of the most popular live online poker operations in the world—the PaiWangLuo poker network—to bring North Carolina the best in poker. The network sees between 2,000 and 3,000 players daily, so it’s a snap to find a table dealing your game at the stakes you want.
If you’re looking to grind some cash games, you can play up to four tables simultaneously using either the browser or Ignition’s downloadable dedicated poker software. Choose heads-up play, six or nine-player tables for no limit, pot limit, and fixed limit games of Texas hold ‘em, Omaha, and Omaha hi/lo.
Try the weekly $2500 freerolls, the local and satellite tournaments, and keep an eye on those royal flush and bad beat prizes.
You want to be as good at poker as fellow Tar Heelers Chris Hunichen or Greg Raymer? Do what they did: hone your skills online. The Ignition Casino poker room is a great place to start.
- 77% 73%
- Bonus: 300% up to $3,000
- Visit Site Read Review
DuckyLuck Casino Best Crypto Site for North Carolinians
DuckyLuck is your one-stop shop if you want to gamble online with cryptocurrency in North Carolina.
DuckyLuck offers Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and Dogecoin – all of which require a low minimum deposit of $25 to get started. There’s also no limit when it comes to your max deposit via crypto, unlike other credit cards ($750-$1k) and other options.
Considering Bitcoin is the only withdrawal method for crypto gamblers, it’s naturally the option that makes the most sense. You can expect a $5 transaction fee, with money in your hand in 48 hours or less.
BTC or not, DuckyLuck caters to crypto gamblers with their alluring 600% Crypto Match Welcome Bonus on your first deposit. You also get access to Crypto Perks with this casino site, which include Daily Cashback (10% on all crypto deposits), rapid payouts, lower fees, and a 3% crypto rebate with every deposit you make with cryptocurrency.
DuckyLuck also has a killer rewards program that keeps giving back to it’s players. You can accrue unlimited easy win bonuses, daily free spins, birthday gifts, and even prioritized payouts.
- 75% 67%
- Bonus: 500% up to $7,500
- Visit Site Read Review
BetOnline Best Live Dealer Site for North Carolinians
When nothing less will do but live dealer gambling, BetOnline is North Carolina’s one-stop shop.
27 live dealer blackjack table await, with variants including single deck, early payout, and VIP tables at $100-$20,000 stakes levels.
And roulette is served at 15 American and European tables with minimum bets from 50 cents to $25. Baccarat is dealt at nine live tables with stakes from $1-$100 up to $25-$500. BetOnline also live deals everything from satta matka and super 6 to andar bahar, bet on poker, and wheel of fortune.
The dealers are all professional, provided by Visionary iGaming, Fresh Deck Studios, and BetGames. If you like live dealer games, you’ll find your table waiting at BetOnline.
- 71% 68%
- Bonus: 50% up to $250
- Visit Site Read Review
Drake Casino Best NC Bonus Site
When you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, Las Atlantis Casino will fill the bill quite nicely. Besides the generous 250% up to $9,500 welcome bonus, Las Atlantis features another welcome bonus with up to $2800 on slots and cards that’s valid up to five times. Then there’s the tiered crypto bonus good for up to five daily deposits.
If you like your bonus with a side of free spins, Las Atlantis Casino has a variety of free spin bonuses, including an up to 220% bonus plus 55 free spins for a deposit of $1000 BTC/LTC.
Just read the various offers from their Promotions page and pick the right combo of bonus and free spins for you. The bonuses tend to spread over a wider range of games, including slots, cards, keno, scratch cards, and board games. Most cash out at 35x bonus plus deposit.
The site also offers short-term bonuses that change regularly, so be sure to keep an eye on the promo codes necessary to take advantage of all largesse Las Atlantis Casino has to offer.
- 75% 66%
- Bonus: 280% up to $2,800
- Visit Site Read Review
Cafe Casino Best North Carolina Video Poker Site
Café Casino is one of the few online gambling sites that takes video poker seriously. The selection may not be huge (eight games), but the breadth of games offered is mighty, nonetheless.
Try your hand at bonus deuces wild, double double bonus poker, one-, three-, and ten-hand jacks or better, as well one-, three-, and ten-hand joker’s wild. Café Casino is also accommodating enough to afford North Carolinians the opportunity to try free versions of each before wagering any real money.
My personal favorite is the single hand double double bonus poker. It’s got a 98.98% RTP, so with some careful video poker play, it’s actually possible to come out ahead.
- 79% 68%
- Bonus: 250% up to $1,500
- Visit Site Read Review
North Carolina Gambling Sites Compared
Site Name | B.E.S.T. Rating | Welcome Bonus | Specialty | Read Review | Visit Site |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bovada | 4.5 | 125% up to $3,750 | Best Gambling Site Overall | Read Review | Visit Bovada |
Everygame | 4.5 | 100% up to $500 | Best Online Casino | Read Review | Visit Everygame |
BetUS | 4.5 | 125% up to $2,500 | Best Sports Betting Site | Read Review | Visit BetUS |
Ignition | 4.5 | 300% up to $3,000 | Best Poker Site | Read Review | Visit Ignition Casino |
DuckyLuck Casino | 4.5 | 500% up to $7,500 | Best Crypto Site | Read Review | Visit DuckyLuck Casino |
BetOnline | 4.5 | 50% up to $1,000 | Best Live Dealer Site | Read Review | Visit BetOnline |
Las Atlantis | 4.5 | 250% Up to $9,500 | Best Bonus Site | Read Review | Visit Las Atlantis |
Café Casino | 4.5 | 250% up to $1,500 | Best Video Poker Site | Read Review | Visit Café Casino |
How We Choose the Best Gambling Sites for North Carolinians
We take a lot into consideration before recommending any particular online gambling site to North Carolinians. Every site is graded on dozens of criteria—eleven pages’ worth, in fact. Only when a site meets or exceeds our B.E.S.T. system of grading standards do we consider it eligible for recommendation.
Here’s how we rank casinos for North Carolinian players:
- Bonuses — Gambling sites offer bonuses to convince gamblers to sign up and make a deposit with them. We look closely at these bonuses, grading them on their rollover (what multiple of their bonus will a gambler need to play in order to “earn out” that bonus.) We also look at subsequent bonuses, such as reload, referral, and crypto bonuses.
- Entertainment Features — This is much more than a subjective “is it fun?” section. We have a long list of what functions and features of a gambling site contribute to (or detract from) the entertainment value. Is the site easy to use? Do the games load quickly and play properly? Can you find what you’re looking for quickly—and can you flag a game as a favorite? Is the sportsbook simple enough for newbies but sophisticated enough to please longtime punters? Lastly, we ensure that the site works on all platforms, including PC, tablet, and mobile phone.
- Safety and Security — We weight safety and security quite heavily in our grading system, because the other attributes are meaningless if your personal and financial data is not kept private. Every site we recommend must conform to standards such as using Transport Layer Security (TLS) for data encryption. We read the site’s privacy policy carefully to ensure that everything about a patron’s personal and financial data is properly guarded.
- Transactions — Far from being a minor concern, this is what gambling is all about, both for the casino and for the gambler. Naturally, we check to see how easy it is to make a deposit and to claim a bonus. We look at how many methods of deposit and withdrawal are available to you, as well as the limits and transaction times for each method. We also ensure that the site adheres to banking-level encryption during all
Is Gambling Legal in North Carolina?
Many of the North Carolina gambling laws have been around for since the state was just a colony, but the past few decades have seen North Carolinians turn from the restrictions of the past to a more modern view of liberty. Three tribal casinos already do business in North Carolina.
The NC Education Lottery commission oversees all other authorized gambling in the state, including the state lottery itself, and has recently licensed operators of mobile sports betting enterprises.
The good news for online gamblers in North Carolina is the state does not outlaw online gambling sites—in fact, the NC statutes don’t mention online gambling at all.
Class 2 Misdemeanor
The bad news is that, in terms of gambling, North Carolina declares “any person or organization that operates any game of chance or any person who plays at or bets on any game of chance at which any money, property or other thing of value is bet, whether the same be in stake or not, shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.” Class 2 misdemeanors in the Tarheel State carry a maximum fine of $1000, and up to 60 days of either community, intermediate, or active punishment. That’s about as universal a ban of gambling as any found in the U.S. But is it?
Current State of Online Gambling in NC
While the state has certainly pursued operators of various games of chance, it has so far avoided arresting and prosecuting North Carolinians who have placed a bet. Obviously, if you are concerned about gambling online in North Carolina, you should consult a local attorney familiar with NC gambling laws and how those laws are enforced. While the state compacted in 2019 to permit sports betting and pari-mutuel horse race wagering in the state’s three tribal casinos, it wasn’t until 2023 that the governor signed HB 347, a bill that would authorize up to 12 interactive wagering enterprises to operate throughout the state. While the law takes effect January 1, 2024, the state lottery commission has up to a year beyond that to formulate the proper screening system that ensures only North Carolinians of legal age have the ability to place wagers via the internet.
Land-Based Gambling Options in North Carolina
Gambling options are growing slowly in North Carolina, with sportsbooks a recent addition to the wagering fare. Currently, with the exception of the state’s three tribal casinos, gambling options in North Carolina are limited to the state’s lottery and charitable bingo.
Tribal Casinos and Sportsbooks
Name | Address | County | Features |
---|---|---|---|
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort | 777 Casino Dr, Cherokee, NC 28719 | Swain and Jackson Counties | Resort casino open 24 hours daily. 150,000 square foot casino floor features 3,000 slots, 160 + table games, sportsbook with 90 ft. screen. |
Catawba Two Kings Casino | 538 Kings Mountain Blvd. Kings Mountain, NC 28086 | Cleveland | Open 24/7. Currently features 1,000 slots along with more than three dozen electronic table game machines offering roulette, blackjack, craps, and baccarat. Sportsbook features 30 betting kiosks. |
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River | 777 Casino Pkwy, Murphy, NC 28906 | Cherokee | Hotel-casino open 24 hours daily. More than 1,000 slots, 60 table games, sportsbook with 32-foot high-definition screen, multiple betting kiosks and staffed betting windows. |
Horse Racing
Recent changes in pari-mutuel wagering in North Carolina make simulcast wagering a possibility once the lottery commission establishes a system for verifying age of players.
Lottery
With nearly 7,000 lottery ticket retailers located throughout the state, North Carolinians are never farther away from a lottery ticket than a mile or two. Not only that, but the NC Lottery permits the purchase of some lottery tickets (such as the North Carolina Powerball) from its site online.
Bingo Halls
Name | Address | County | Features |
---|---|---|---|
No. 8 Bingo | 4240 Patterson Ave Winston-Salem, NC 27105 | Forsyth | Open 3 PM – 11PM Friday and Saturday, 1:30PM – 11 PM Sunday |
Rhonda’s Beach Bingo | 2608 Deherradora Ave Charlotte, NC 28208 | Mecklenburg | Open 5:45 PM – 10:30 PM Sunday |
Jackpot Beach Bingo | 1040 E 10th Street Roanoke Rapids, NC 27870 | Halifax | Open 4 PM daily |
North Carolina Gambling History
HB 347 signed into law, legalizing commercial sportsbooks, mobile sports betting, and live parimutuel horse racing in North Carolina.
Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort opened temporary casino while construction of permanent building continues.
The federal government authorized the construction of the South Carolina Catawba Nation’s Two Kings Casino Resort on “ancestral land” in North Carolina a few miles east of Charlottesville.
Via state-tribe compact, sportsbooks and pari-mutuel horse race wagering legalized for tribal casinos.
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Hotel & Casino opened.
Assembly amended Article 37 of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes with a lengthy and detailed list of gambling devices the state considers illegal.
Video poker and video gaming machines (VGMs) declared illegal.
Established the previous year, the North Carolina Education Lottery sold its first ticket.
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort opened.
Laws on charitable bingo and raffles clarified by HB 489; beach bingo authorized.
General Assembly banned slot machines.
Public gaming tables outlawed; playing or betting at any such tables declared a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of “not less than ten dollars.”
All lotteries banned by the General Assembly.
Future of Gambling in North Carolina
North Carolina’s long battle with gambling appears to be drawing to an end, but hostilities will probably still occur in the future.
The state’s approval of sportsbooks, mobile sports betting, and parimutuel horse racing augers well for North Carolinian gamblers.
Additionally, a bill was passed in 2023 that permitted up to eight commercial sportsbooks to open in the state, along with the licensing of up to 12 “interactive sports wagering operations.” Tar Heels can expect the rollout of those new gambling options to begin in the near future.
On the other hand, recent legislative moves to authorize four new casinos stalled when related passages delayed a state budget bill so long that the section involving the casinos was removed. Casino proponents vowed to write a stand-alone casino bill.
It remains to be seen whether such a bill will be written, and further, signed into state law.
Gambling Responsibly
In a 2020 survey of 4,485 North Carolinians, the state’s Division of Public Health found that while the vast majority of Tar Heels did not self-identify with a gambling problem (77%), as many as 9.7% showed responses to the survey consistent with those not practicing responsible gambling.
Interestingly, current smokers and binge drinkers accounted for the higher percentage; those without those ancillary traits were at risk in the 5-6% range.
If you or a loved one are experiencing gambling issues, here are two good resources to turn to:
- More Than a Game, North Carolina State Government
- Gamblers Anonymous: List of North Carolina Meetings
Legal Sources
- Tribal Compacts with North Carolina, American Gaming Association
- Illegal Gambling Defined, North Carolina Legislature
- Class 2 Misdemeanor, North Carolina Legislature
- HB 347, North Carolina Legislature
- US Department of the Interior Oks Catawba Nation casino, Yahoo Finance
- Sportsbooks and pari-mutuel betting permitted at tribal casinos, Eastern Band of Cherokees
- List of gambling devices outlawed, North Carolina Legislature
- Video Poker and VGMs declared illegal, North Carolina Department of Public Safety
- Lottery established, North Carolina Education Lottery
- HB 489, North Carolina Legislature
- Slot machines banned, North Carolina Legislature
- Public gaming tables banned, North Carolina Legislature
- All lotteries banned, NCpedia
Gambling Online in North Carolina
If you want to gamble online in North Carolina, there are a lot of options available to you. The very best North Carolina online casino is Bovada, however.
Bovada’s casino offers endless casino games, a renowned poker room, and loads of slots, including hot drop jackpots. Bovada also offers an elite sportsbook and a solid 125% welcome bonus up to $3,750 – effectively catering to every gambler in North Carolina.
There are options for every niche, with EveryGame resided as the top real money option, Ignition Casino offering the best online poker experience, and more.
In addition to pointing you to the best North Carolina casinos online, this guide provided an overview of The Tarheel State’s gambling landscape and a history of gambling in North Carolina..
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