Are sweepstakes legal in North Carolina?
GAMBLING laws in the US are complicated. Right now, sports betting is legal and available in North Carolina at retail locations. However, legal online gambling has not yet arrived in the state, with an expected launch date for online sports betting of January 2024.
It’s a similar story with casino gambling: there are currently three retail tribal casinos in the state run by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Catawba Nation. However, online casino gambling is not legal.
All that said, there is an alternative to regular online gambling available right now in North Carolina: social casinos. These sites let you play online casino-style games totally free, and thanks to sweepstakes games you can even redeem real cash prizes.
I will explain exactly how it works in North Carolina here.
Are sweepstakes legal in North Carolina?
Yes, they are. The games at social casinos are not considered a type of gambling from a legal perspective, and you don’t play them using real money in the way you do at regular online casinos. Instead, they are always free to play, whether in regular mode or in sweepstakes mode - which I get into in the last section.
All of this means that social casinos don’t need a gambling license to operate and are free to accept players in states that don’t yet have legal online gambling - like North Carolina. Although you can redeem real cash prizes from sweeps sites, the format is actually a type of promotional sweepstakes contest, not gambling. As such, they are bound by sweepstakes laws.
Sweepstakes casinos are an ideal alternative if legal online gambling isn’t available in your state.
The best social casinos in North Carolina
North Carolina residents have access to some of the most exciting and innovative social casinos in the US. Check out my favorites sites below:
- Fortune Coins - 1,250,000 GC + 4,300 SC
- Stake.us - 25 Stake Cash + 250,000 Gold Coins
- High 5 Casino - Get 5 Free Sweeps Coins + 250 GC + 600 Diamonds
- WOW Vegas - 1.5 million WOW Coins + 34.5 Free Sweepstake Coins
- Sportzino - Up to 220,000 GC + 10 SC
- Chumba Casino - 2,000,000 free GC + 2 free SC
- Luckyland Slots - 7777 gold coins + 10 sweeps coins free
- Zula Casino - 100,000 GC + 10 SC
- McLuck - 57,500 Gold Coins + up to 27.5 free Sweepstakes Coins
- Global Poker - Use code PLAYPOKER for exclusive Gold Coin offer
- Pulsz - up to 367,000 Gold Coins + 32.3 Free Sweepstakes Coins
- Funrize - 125,000 FREE Gold Coins
Fortune Coins welcome offer
1,250,000 GC + 4,300 FREE SC
18+ Available in all US states except MI, WA, NV, ID. Terms apply. Please play responsibly.
Can I win real money at social casinos in North Carolina?
Technically, you don’t win money in the way you do at regular casinos, since you don’t actually use real money to play the games. However, you can redeem cash prizes when you play at sweepstakes casinos. Here’s how it works.
Social casinos allow their players to play in two main ways, both of which require free virtual tokens called Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins.
In Gold Coin mode, you can’t redeem prizes. Gold Coins are only used for playing the free games, no matter how many you win. You can get them for free in lots of ways: through a sign up bonus, daily login bonus, social media giveaways, raffles and other promos. You can also buy Gold Coins, if you run out of your free supply.
Sweeps Coins on the other hand can never be bought, only received through the various free promos described above. When you buy Gold Coins, you often get some free Sweeps Coins as an extra bonus.
Unlike GC, winning Sweeps Coins can be redeemed for prizes, including both cash and gift cards. It varies depending on the site, but normally one Sweeps Coin is the equivalent of $1 in prizes. You’ll need to hit a certain minimum threshold of SC to request a redemption too, which could be SC50 or SC100.
It’s also worth remembering that you can only redeem Sweeps Coins you have won through the games at a social casino. You can’t simply request a redemption with some SC you got from a free bonus right away.
In my opinion, it’s an exciting time for fans of gambling and online games in North Carolina, with online sports betting just around the corner in 2024. For now, social casinos are a great option for playing the latest online casino-style games in the Tar Heel State.
High 5 welcome offer
Get 5 Free Sweeps Coins + 250 GC + 600 Diamonds
18+ Sweeps Play is only available in the United States, excluding Washington, Nevada, Michigan, and Idaho. High 5 Casino Classic features are still available everywhere! Only one Sweepstakes eligible account per player.
About the author
Archie Williamson
Archie has been involved with the casino space for 5 years, having formerly worked as a Research Analyst for a cybersecurity agency. His favorite casino game is live dealer blackjack.
When not testing the latest in casino games, he loves long walks in the countryside he grew up in, and hunting down new craft breweries.
Responsible sweepstakes and social playing
Remember to play responsibly at social and sweepstakes casinos
A responsible player is someone who:
- Establishes time limits before playing
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t play if they’re upset, angry, or depressed
- National Council on Problem Gambling – https://www.ncpgambling.org/
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 1-800-522-4700 or go to ncpgambling.org/chat
