Internet Cafe Gambling Remains Legal in North Carolina

Gambling News - December 25th, 2009 - Written by Glen

Over the last week, courts in North Carolina had declared gambling outside of tribal casinos prohibited. Video poker was the main topic of debate, but other forms of gambling were likely included. Despite the law keeping gambling on tribal land, one form of profitable gaming has not been banned. This form of gambling would take place legally through sweepstakes parlors scattered around the area.

These sweepstakes parlors allow users to play video poker or slot games with a chance to win prizes. By buying their phone cards or time on the computers, players will be entitled to this watered down form of gambling. The operators of these parlors claim that the video poker and slots are used as "promotional devices," loosely compared chance-to-win games, such as the Scrabble game through Subway.

Some have claimed that these parlors are abusing a loophole in the law, and that a change needs to be made to eliminate the grey area. Marc Basnight, Democratic Senate Leader, told the News Observer that "They are circumventing the law. As we decide how much North Carolina can stomach, you find yourself more leaning toward the elimination... of these sort of games." Judging by what Basnight had said, these sweepstakes parlors may not legally last long.

The expansion of gambling, in one form or another, has been a way for many states to recover from the recession without directly raising taxes. Being that gambling, particularly state lotteries, are almost a voluntary tax, many states have managed to boost budgets to neutral ground through the use of gambling tax. Online gambling may also soon be regulated, bringing even more cash into state coffers.