North Carolina Online Casinos – An Inside Look At The Tar Heel State’s Casino Gambling Industry
North Carolina has traditionally been a very conservative gambling state. While there are three Indian casinos in North Carolina rated for Class III gaming, there are no commercial casinos, no betting allowed at local NC horse tracks, and no domestic North Carolina online casino gambling. But if you want convenient access to Internet-based real-money gambling, state residents can legally participate by joining one of the reputable offshore North Carolina casinos featured here.
These NC casino sites operate without breaking any laws, and you’re able to join them to place real-money wagers on countless NC online slots, online blackjack games, online roulette games, and more. They have all the amusements you expect out of a brick-and-mortar North Carolina gambling casino – and many you probably don’t! Singing up is 100% free, and you can be gambling in NC – online – safely and legally in just a few minutes.
★ Top Rated Online Casino For North Carolina Players
Bovada Casino – Win New Money In The Old North!
When it comes to gambling in North Carolina, Bovada LV is the all-in-one supersite you’ve been looking for. With over 250 of the best RNG-certified electronic online casino games and 30+ live-dealer casino tables to choose from, Bovada gives you more options than you know what to do with.
Of course, Bovada isn’t just a legit online North Carolina casino. Bovada is also a full gambling site featuring every other gaming market you can think of: online NC sports betting, online NC poker gambling, and online NC horse racing betting. It’s a real gaming superfecta!
State residents who join today can take advantage of the popular Bovada Casino Welcome Bonus worth up to $3000!
- Established 2011 (Costa Rica)
- 250+ NC online slots + table games
- 30+ live-dealer casino games
- Bitcoin + altcoins supported
- Bovada Vouchers + Bovada MatchPay
- 1 account for Casino, Sports, Poker, Ponies
- All NC players welcome (18+)
Is Online Gambling Legal In North Carolina In 2025?
Yes, but not at the domestic level. In other words, neither of the Harrah’s Casino Cherokee venues are legally authorized to host online iGaming, and even the brand-new casino in North Carolina – the Catawba Two Kings Casino – is unable to host real-money online casino games.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s illegal for you to gamble over the Internet. Because North Carolina gambling laws apply only to domestic operators and there are no North Carolina online gambling laws barring players from participating, you can use an international offshore casino without breaking any laws. Additionally, these overseas gambling sites operate in full compliance with all federal US gambling laws, so you’re doubly safe.
Note: While you can play the North Carolina Lottery (officially the “North Carolina Education Lottery”) at 18+, the legal gambling age in North Carolina for domestic casino play is 21 and up. However, at most of the legit online casinos we recommend, the minimum age to play is just 18 years old.
Are There Legal NC Online Casinos That Are Safe To Play At?
Absolutely, there are. However, because you can only play legit online casino games at web-based casinos operating outside of NC and US borders, you’ll need to make sure you sign up only with a trusted, respected operator.
There are countless online NC casinos out there, and while all of them purport to be on the up and up, most of them will just drag you down. To avoid that, it’s imperative that the venue you choose is a time-tested online casino with years of experience and an online reputation for stellar game selection, win rates, and payouts.
All the NC online casinos we recommend fit the bill, as they each adhere to the following online gambling industry best practices:
North Carolina Mobile Casinos
NC isn’t the biggest state, but it’s still pretty wide open, and there’s lots of mountainous terrain between one place and the next. And although we’re always down for a scenic drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains, we’re not always down to spend the time and money it takes to get one of the three NC brick-and-mortar casinos for an evening of slots, blackjack, and video poker.
In such cases, we toss out or short list of casinos in North Carolina and fire up our mobile web browsers. In addition to being 100% accessible online, the best North Carolina online casinos are also 100% accessible via mobile.
It doesn’t matter what kind of device you use, either. From the smallest iPhone to the biggest Android – from the iPad mini to the iPad Pro 12.9 and all the Galaxy Tabs in between – you’ll get a responsive, pixel-perfect, web-based gambling experience. There are no North Carolina casino apps to download or update, as everything works through mobile Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.
And best of all, there’s no geofencing. Even if NC betting apps are finally authorized at the state level, these will always be geofenced. That is, you won’t be able to gamble once you cross the border into another state. But with the online North Carolina casinos we recommend, that’s never an issue. You can play from anywhere, anytime.
Online Casino Games In North Carolina
Some prospective online gamblers might be under the impression that Cherokee Casino North Carolina venues (i.e. the Harrah’s Cherokee or Harrah’s Valley River) might offer more games or better games than the best-reviewed online NC casinos ever could. But that’s not the case!
All the North Carolina online gambling venues we recommend utilize only the best casino software made by the top designers in the world. In fact, many of these developers are the same companies who make the electronic slots and electronic table games for retail brick-and-mortar casinos in gambling districts throughout the world.
All online NC gambling games use certified RNG (random number generation) technology to ensure true random outcomes and real-world win rates, and every title is regularly audited by industry watchdogs. Plus, there are never any lines – only paylines! – and many of the best NC online casinos even allow members to play these online casino games for free before risking any actual cash.
- Online Slot Machines (3-Reel, 5-Reel, 3D, iSlots)
- Online Progressive Jackpot Slots
- Online Blackjack Games (1-Deck, 2-Deck, 6-Deck, 8-Deck)
- Online Roulette (American + European)
- Online Baccarat + Super 6 (Mini-Baccarat)
- Online Video Poker Games
- Online Keno + Online Craps
- Online Bingo Games (30, 50, 70, 90 ball)
- Online Lotteries + Raffles + Scratchers
- Online Live Casino Games w/ Real Dealers
North Carolina Online Live-Dealer Casino Games
While the online space offers easily the best slot machines in North Carolina, slots aren’t always what players want. Yes, slots are the most popular gambling games in the world, but nothing beats the live-dealer experience when you want to play games like roulette or blackjack.
State gamblers who enjoy traditional table games over electronic table games used to be restricted to the few NC Indian casinos in the state. But with new advancements, online live-dealer casino tables are now available at every legit gambling site.
No, you won’t get the entire experience of in-person play at a ritzy North Carolina casino hotel, but you will get that all-important human touch that lends itself to deeper immersion and entertainment.
You can even chat in real-time with your dealer and other players at your table, and if the felts are full, most operators support unlimited bet-behinds. Live online casino spectator mode is also available for new players who want to check things out a bit before ponying up any real cash.
- Live Dealer Blackjack
- Live Dealer Roulette
- Live Dealer Baccarat
- Live Dealer Super 6
Note: Live-dealer games are not offered as free online casino games at legit North Carolina online casinos. These are paid tables only. Additionally, most NC gambling sites do not allow live casino games to apply to casino bonus playthrough contribution.
Brick-And-Mortar Casinos In North Carolina
We love online gambling. It’s our bread and butter, and we play every day at all the sites we recommend (or, more accurately, at whichever site has the best current online slots tournament or online blackjack tournament on a given day).
But sometimes, we want to play at one of the real in-person North Carolina Indian casinos. Usually, that’s the Harrah’s Casino in Cherokee. This is the flagship casino in the state, and it should be your top choice whenever consulting your trusty North Carolina casinos map. This venue has more slots and table games than the other in-state casinos, as well as the only NC poker room in the state.
Of course, if we’re closer to the Harrah’s casino in Murphy, NC, we’ll gladly go there. And it goes without saying, but whenever we’re near the newest NC casino – the Two Kings Resort – we usually hit the floor for a night of fun, too (though it should be noted that Two Kings currently does not offer NC sports betting options).
In October, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians formally closed their popular bingo hall – Cherokee Tribal Bingo in Cherokee, NC – permanently. As of 2022, there is no reopening date, and the venue’s website and social media accounts are no longer available.
However, North Carolina bingo is still available in NC Indian casinos and via various smaller charitable gambling operations throughout the state, and you can play online bingo in North Carolina at all the top sites featured here.
Gambling Resources For North Carolina Residents
For more information about North Carolina casino laws, the best resource is the current North Carolina General Statutes (NCGS). We’ve included the relevant section of the state code below, along with a few other links to give you as much to work with as possible.
- NCGS Ch. 14, Article 37 – “Lotteries, Gaming, Bingo and Raffles”
- North Carolina Indian Casino Compacts – Federal Register Index (select “North Carolina” from the US State dropdown menu to get links to all prior and current NC tribal gambling compacts).
- NC SB 688 (2022) – Legislative proposal to legalize online sports betting. North Carolina online sportsbooks – if approved – could open the door to domestic NC online casino gambling.
Gambling if for entertainment only. If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling addiction, help is available for free from the North Carolina chapter of the National Council on Problem Gambling. Please play responsibly.