2009年12月25日，在北卡罗莱纳州的一家德文网吧被允许向在线赌博玩家提供远程老虎机和视频扑克投注。

　　不要高兴得太早，只要你是一名北卡罗莱纳州的美国公民或居民，网上赌博是在北卡罗莱纳州的法律问题上不是那么简单的。但话又说回来，也许有朝一日它将放开。

　　据多个地方的新闻来源，北卡罗莱纳州的法官已裁定，允许赌博以外的赌场，包括网吧和殡仪馆。有些报告提到，州政府开始考虑制定网络赌场规管法。

　　不管怎么说，所谓的网上赌博与发生在现实中的赌博活动本质是一样的。它没有被指定的人们是如何赌博，比通过视频扑克机和老虎机上的赌注。这可能意味着，通过计算机和/或机器参与赌博，比较难界定它的法律问题。但无论如何它的本质与赌博活动是相同的。但有一点是例外的，网吧”只允许提供商品和非现金的奖品，如免费使用电脑的时间和电话卡，津贴，而不是向赢家颁发的现金奖金。

　　在北卡罗莱纳州的现行法律只允许部落赌场提供赌博，目前并不包括远程赌博。部落赌场在过去试图让法律承认它的合法性。最近的裁决决定，在线赌博的法律是灰色的，但临时的法律解决方案允许视频扑克和老虎机游戏。总而言之在线赌博合法化需要等待明确的法律出炉。

　　这是否意味着现行的法律变得越来越自由化，谁也说不准。如果有的话，对喜欢网上赌场赌博的北卡罗来纳州的居民来说，这是令人欣慰的。他们可以更自由地在网上投注赌博活动。

　　在此期间，北卡罗来纳州远程下注赌博活动为在线赌博活动家推动在线赌博合法化提供了一个基本事实，并有利于推动联邦政府正视互联网博彩合法化问题。

　　译文

　　Is Online Gambling Legalization on the Horizon in North Carolina?

　　Internet Cafes in North Carolina permitted to offer remote slots and video poker wagering

　　Don’t get too excited just yet all you U.S. citizens and residents of North Carolina. While you might have read headlines that online gambling is legal in North Carolina, it’s not quite that simple. But then again, maybe it is. It’s just not as liberalized as you might think.

　　According to multiple local news sources, a North Carolina Judge has ruled that gambling parlors, which some reports refer to as internet cafes and sweepstakes parlors, should be exempt from current regulatory law, i.e., prosecution and raids by State Police for allowing gambling outside of tribal reservations.

　　Is Online Gambling Legal in North Carolina

　　In reality, the referred gambling activity taking place is not actually “online gambling” per say, anyways. It hasn’t been specified exactly how people are gambling, other than it being via wagers on video poker machines and slots. This could mean via computers and/or machines, which are essentially one and the same anyhow. The one exception for the allowance to even do so is that instead of awarding cash prizes, thes “internet cafes” are only permitted to offer merchandise and non-cash prizes, such as free computer time and phone cards.

　　The current law in North Carolina only permits tribal casinos to offer gambling – and no remote gambling at that. Tribal casinos tried to do so in the past, and even that was struck down in court. Considering that laws regarding online gambling are grey to begin with, the recent ruling allowing the video poker and slots gaming to continue is being labeled as a temporary solution until laws become more definitive.

　　Whether that means the current law becomes less or more liberalized is anybody’s guess. If anything, it’s reassuring for North Carolina residents who like to gamble at online casinos that they can continue their wagering activity somewhat unchecked, as authorities are certainly more inclined to look the other way and hold off on taking any steps so severe as certain State’s, such as Louisiana and Kentucky, who have directly gone after online casino operators in the recent past.

　　In the meantime, the fact that remote wagering is even taking place within North Carolina state borders provides a glimmer of hope for online gambling activists working hard to get the UIGEA bill overturned and some form of federal regulation passed to legalize internet betting and provide protection for North Carolina residents currently wagering at offshore online casinos.