Guide to North Carolina Gambling Age: Casinos, Sports Betting & More

As a part of the bible belt in the US, it is to be expected that North Carolina has a very conservative approach to gambling. With some of the strictest anti-gambling laws in the US, the tar heel state is far from a destination for gaming tourists. However, there are a few forms of popular real money playing that North Carolina locals can enjoy, tribal casinos are legal in the state as well as a state lottery, and since 2019 limited sports betting is also available.

The legal North Carolina gambling age tows the line with the majority of the US, with the most sought after forms of gaming, casino and sports betting having a higher legal age than the state lottery.

In the table above we have outlined the legal gambling ages for the legal forms of betting in North Carolina. Both Casino gaming and sports betting have the legal age of 21. Whereas the state lottery and bingo players only need to be 18 to participate. If there is not an age underneath a form of real money activity in the table then that type is illegal in North Carolina.

On this page, we will go into more detail about the legal forms of gaming in North Carolina as well as the legal gambling ages associated with each. We will also do a deep dive into the history of gambling laws in the Tar Heel State as well as take a look at any upcoming law reform that might be on the horizon.

Casino Age in North Carolina

Since 1791 casino table games had been banned across North Carolina in line with the states’ historically conservative approach to gambling. However, in 1994 this all changed when tribal casinos were legalized in the Tar Heel State. In line with the federal laws set out in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act 1988 (IGRA), in 1994 North Carolina entered into tribal compacts with local tribes to allow for the construction of casinos on tribal lands.

At last count there were three tribal casinos operating in North Carolina, the legal casino age for gambling at these tribal casinos is set to 21. The most prominent tribe within North Carolina, the Eastern Band or Cherokee, run the two most popular casinos in the Tar Heel State which under altered tribal compacts that took effect in 2012 are able to offer Class III games. Class III casino games include traditional table casino games, electronic gambling machines and sports betting (which will be discussed in further detail later on this page).

The legal casino age in North Carolina likely set to 21 as this is also the legal drinking age across the US. In order for casinos to avoid any issues with serving underage drinkers on their premises, it makes sense that casinos would set their entry age to mirror the country’s legal drinking age.

There are no current plans to expand the casino market in North Carolina, in line with conservative state views the state is not keen on opening up the casino market to commercial casinos any time soon. However, judging by the popularity of the state’s tribal casinos North Carolina’s legislature might see the benefit in commercial gambling should the state be in need of additional state funding.

What are The Casinos In North Carolina that accept 18 year Olds?

There are no casinos in North Carolina that allow 18-year-olds to gamble at them. The legal gambling age for casino players in the Tar Heel State is 21 which is in line with the state’s conservative approach to betting and family values roots. However, 18-year-olds should not be discouraged they are still able to participate in the state lottery and play Daily Fantasy Sports in North Carolina.

For those above the age of 21 and who wish to visit one of North Carolina’s three tribal casinos we have pulled together their names and addresses in the table below.

Sports Betting In North Carolina

Sports betting is a very recent addition to North Carolina’s list of legalized forms of gambling. Even though it is only a recent addition to North Carolina’s gaming economy it is already making its presence known and has a wide draw for sports fans across the state. The minimum North Carolina age for sports betting is 21.

Historically illegal in North Carolina since the 1800’s when all forms of wagering were made illegal, sports betting legality was canonized by North Carolina’s governor in 2019. After the supreme court overturned the federal ban on sports betting set out in the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act 1992 (PASPA), the local tribes within North Carolina were quick to turn around and petition the state to allow them to offer sports betting within their casinos.

Under the tribal compacts signed between the local tribes and North Carolina state, they are permitted to offer Class III games at their casinos – Class III games include sports betting. As it was already inferred that sports betting was technically legal on tribal lands due to the existing compacts with local tribes, North Carolina’s governor confirmed its legality by signing a bill formalizing local tribes’ rights to offer sports betting if they are permitted to offer Class III games.

The bill was very specific in what forms of sports betting is allowed, and online/mobile sports betting in North Carolina is still very much considered illegal. While North Carolina’s state legislature was happy to confer legality on an additional form of gambling they had technically already legalized, it appears opening up the state’s gaming market to forms of online real money playing is not on the cards anytime soon.

NC Online Gambling Age

Under North Carolina’s state legislation all forms of commercial gambling are completely illegal within the state, the only exception being tribal casinos. Included within this blanket illegality is online gaming. As all forms of online real money activities are illegal in North Carolina there is no legal online gambling age.

North Carolina is a very conservative state, as is to be expected as a member of the US’s bible belt. In taking a conservative approach to all forms of law and legal gaming within the state it is no wonder North Carolina is so reticent to adopt any form of online gambling. Therefore, any resident of the Tar Heel State who is hell-bent on enjoying any form of online betting is best placed to book a ticket to New Jersey or Delaware where online casino games are completely legal.

While residents of North Carolina might be tempted to gamble online on one of the many offshore gambling websites that can be accessed, we would not advise this. Firstly, these offshore entities that operate such websites are not licensed or regulated within the US. This means that should players have any issues with the websites they will have no recourse against the operators under US or state law.

Secondly, as online gambling is illegal in North Carolina those caught playing online could face prosecution. While the threat of possible prosecution for online gamblers in the majority of states across the US would be considered an idle threat, as North Carolina has such staunch and robust anti-gambling laws the risk of prosecution for being caught playing online would appear to be a lot higher here than in other states.

Poker Gambling Age

Keeping in line with North Carolina’s definitive and blanket illegality of all forms of commercial gambling, both online and in-person poker is illegal within the Tar Heel State. As all forms of poker are illegal in North Carolina, there is no legal playing age associated with it.

Taking it even one step further, and really pushing it home that North Carolina is not the state to visit if you are a fan of gambling, even social poker is considered illegal in the state. Where most states allow social games so long as the house has no way of making a profit off the game, North Carolina even refuses to allow social games of the world’s most popular card game to take place.

Daily Fantasy Sports

As we have established on this page North Carolina is not a fan of gambling. However, for those sports fans who might be disheartened by the minimal offering of sports betting allowed in the Tar Heel State, here is some slight respite – Daily Fantasy Sports can be played in North Carolina by residents above the age of 18.

While Daily Fantasy Sports can be played in North Carolina, this does not mean that the state has declared that it is legal. In fact, Daily Fantasy sports isn’t exactly legal or illegal, instead it functions in a very grey area of law in which operators argue it has implied legality. The rationale operators apply is that Daily Fantasy sports is a game of skill and not chance. Therefore, if Daily Fantasy Sports is a game of skill it is not governed by the state’s gambling laws and could not be considered illegal.

So far North Carolina’s legislature has not felt the need to make a definitive ruling on Daily Fantasy Sports legality and it continues to operate in the state in a grey area of legality. What may make North Carolina legislate for the game’s legality would be to protect consumers by setting boundaries on operators through the law, or if the state was in need of extra funding, as through legalizing the game the state legislature could then include clauses to govern the taxation of Daily Fantasy Sports Operators.

Legal Age to Play the Lottery in North Carolina

North Carolina’s state lottery has been in existence since 2006, making it a very late adopter of the state lottery format. However, breaking North Carolina’s traditional stance on being very anti-gambling, the Tar Heel state is one of the few states in the US to offer an online lottery. The legal gambling age for participating in North Carolina’s state lottery is 18.

It took so long for North Carolina to gain a state lottery as there has been such staunch opposition from religious groups throughout the years. In fact, the only way the lottery was passed into law was because it voted in on a day when two of the members of the state legislature who opposed it couldn’t vote. North Carolina’s lottery is run and managed by the North Carolina Education Lottery. Since its inception in 2006, the state lottery has raised millions for the state’s educational system and supporting infrastructure.

In the most surprising move, North Carolina has made in terms of its gambling laws in recent years was when an online lottery was legalized. An online lottery was most likely made legal as the lottery itself is such a great generator of revenue for the state and by taking it online it would open it up for more residents to play from the comfort of their own homes. Additionally, for a conservative state, the lottery is the least offensive form of gambling to advance so it probably has a lot less public resistance to overcome than opening up commercial gambling would have done.

North Carolina Gambling Laws & Future Outlook

North Carolina’s gambling laws can be found in the state’s constitution and accompanying state legalization. The overarching definition of real money gaming in North Carolina can be found in Article 37 of the state’s general statutes which defines gambling as, ‘ operating a game of chance or playing at or betting on any game of chance at which money, property, or other things of value is bet, whether the same be in a stake or not’. Under North Carolina being caught engaging in a form of gambling is a Class II misdemeanor.

As mentioned earlier, all forms of commercial gambling are considered illegal and fit within the state’s definition of wagering. The only exception to this rule is playing at tribal casinos which are legal under federal law. The state’s only other form of legalized gambling, the state lottery, has been legalized through additional legislation that allows it to operate as an exception to the blanket illegality applied to gamble in North Carolina.

For a very conservative state with few forms of legal gambling available, North Carolina’s gambling market still has a significant economic footprint each year. In 2019 the state’s three tribal casinos made an economic impact of over $1 billion, this could be partly due to the introduction of sports betting to tribal casinos, but it still indicates that there is a very healthy appetite for gambling in the Tar Heel state.

There are taxes applied to gamble winnings in North Carolina. All gambling winnings are classed as personal income and are therefore taxed as such, meaning that gambling winnings will be taxed at each individual’s personal tax rate each year. Further, North Carolina’s state lottery has federal taxes of 25% applied to all winnings above $5,000 along with an additional 5.8% of state taxes.

Currently, it looks like North Carolina will maintain the status quo when it comes to gambling in the Tar Heel state. Being known as a state famous for its conservative approach to gambling, as well as being one that houses a large group of religious groups with incredible lobbying power it seems likely that the gambling laws in North Carolina will remain the same for some years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hopefully, this page has given you a good introduction to gambling in the Tar Heel state. If you have any outstanding questions take a look at the answers to the most frequently asked questions below.