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North Carolina is the ninth most populous state in the US and the country's twenty-eight largest. It is famous for being the birthplace of flight machines, the home of natural marvels like the Blur Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains, and its college basketball fanaticism. Gambling is something that most would not associate with North Carolina, and for good reason, as the Tar Heel State boasts a conservative Bible Belt culture, which is the main reason it has long resisted gambling expansion.
North Carolina only has three tribal casinos and allows online and land-based sports wagering. It also permits raffles, charitable bingo, and a state lottery that raises money for education, which began operating in 2006. Mobile sports betting only recently got legalized in the state, going live in 2024. Eight regulated sportsbooks are now operational, all overseen by the North Carolina State Lottery Commission and subject to an 18% tax rate on all generated revenues.
That said, there is no horse or greyhound racing in NC, and organizing games of chance gets punished as a Class 2 misdemeanor in the heart of NASCAR. Hence, there are no commercial gaming establishments in the state. As far as poker goes, a sector that is projected to generate $306 billion by 2032, there is no online poker in NC. The only places where residents and tourists can partake in card gambling fun are the two North Carolina poker rooms in two of the three Native American gaming establishments within its borders, as social and charitable poker is not legal in this part of the US.
Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino
Without question, Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino is the top destination for gambling entertainment in North Carolina. Located near Murphy, the seat of Cherokee County, a town of just over fifteen hundred people, this modern resort opened its doors in September 2015. It has a three hundred-room hotel and a sixty thousand square foot casino floor that houses more than thirteen hundred slots and video poker machines. The latter genre has a fascinating history in NC, as they were once widespread here, but regulation on their availability tightened in 2000, limiting them to three per venue, and seven years later, a complete band was put in place, which went into full effect in 2013. Still, devices similar to these, which can constitute - video poker, still get offered at sweepstakes parlors across the state.
Harrah's Cherokee Valley River is a partially popular spot because it is a two-hour drive from major cities like Knoxville, Atalanta, and Chattanooga. It is also a stylishly designed poker room that primarily hosts Texas Hold 'em Tournaments. There are ten tables here, with eight-handed cash games. A Bad Beat Jackpot is in play for Texas Hold 'em games, where the pot is $20 or greater, with the top prize of $10,000 given out to a player with quad JACKS.
Harrahs Cherokee Casino
Harrahs Cherokee is another venue owned by EBCI Holdings, LLC. The same company owns Valley River, managed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which lets Caesars Entertainment operate its two NC casinos. This one started accepting customers in 1997 and can be found at 777 Casino Drive in Cherokee, on the former Frontier Land theme park site. Its gambling area sprawls one hundred and fifty square feet and features over three thousand gaming machines. The resort has a hotel with eighteen hundred rooms and a Ruth's Chris Steak House restaurant as its most notable eatery.
The WSOP poker room here is much bigger than the one at Valley River, with thirty-two tables. Inside this part of the Harrahs Cherokee, visitors can enjoy Bad Beat and Reserve jackpots, weekday tournaments, and cash games in a non-smoke WiFi area that offers cocktails service, check-to-check, and comps. The tables here open shop at 10 AM and close at 6 AM, offering chiefly 1/3 No Limit Hold 'em with buy-ins from $100 to $300 and 2/5 No Limit Hold 'em with buy-ins from $200 to $1,000. On weekends, gamblers can run into ½ Pot Limit Ohama Hi, and on most evenings, they can partake in the 5/5 version.
Off-shore Online Poker
As noted above, no legislation permits online poker in North Carolina. Despite the recent expansion of gambling laws, primarily sports betting, card gambling has gotten little to no momentum in recent years. There is no abundance of active or sound proposals for allowing this pastime in NC, which is unlikely to happen soon.
Offshore poker sites are not legally recognized in North Carolina. Platforms registered in Panama, Costa Rica, and Curacao are not subjected to US federal gambling laws or NC regulations. Accordingly, they accept gamblers from the state. North Carolina authorities have not shown any interest in pursuing individuals who use these cryptocurrency-oriented sites, given they have higher law enforcement priorities. They only warn that those who play on these hubs must be wary that they will get no consumer protections that ensure fair play.