RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – A North Carolina sheriff can begin enforcing a ban on computer games that mimic Las Vegas-style slots after the state Supreme Court decided two sweepstakes companies couldn’t block authorities.
The high court on Thursday ruled against a lawsuit by Southern Pines-based Sandhill Amusements Inc. and Georgia-based GiftSurplus. They tried to block former Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown from enforcing the state’s gaming laws against sweepstakes operators.
The Supreme Court cited a lower-court ruling by Justice Sam Ervin IV, who joined the high court last year. Ervin wrote last year that sweepstakes machines are games of chance and covered under North Carolina’s gambling prohibitions.
Lawmakers first banned video poker and other electronic gambling in 2006, but operators have adapted their games and fought in court to stay open.
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