Tagged: Video Sweepstakes

The single largest donor to candidates for North Carolina's General Assembly in 2012 turns out to be a video gambling software executive who now faces racketeering charges in Florida. New data compiled by the nonprofit Democracy North Carolina shows Chase Burns donated more than $230,000 to Governor Pat McCrory, candidates for state legislature and the North Carolina Republican Party. 

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers are paying personal visits to all "sweepstakes parlors" in the area this week urging proprietors to make sure they're complying with a new ban on the electronic games. WFAE's Julie Rose reports:

CMPD Deputy Chief Vicki Foster estimates there are about 100 free-standing sweepstakes parlors in Mecklenburg County. Most shut down about a week ago when a state ban on the games went into effect, but Foster expects many to reopen in the coming days.

A December N.C. Supreme Court decision that upheld a ban on video sweepstakes machines goes into effect Thursday.

But it’s unclear whether the sweepstakes parlors that have opened in Charlotte and across the state will be closed – or whether their owners will find a way to comply with the law, as some have said they will do.

The city of Charlotte said it’s monitoring potential legal challenges to the N.C. Supreme Court decision, as well as attempts by the sweepstakes industry to make their machines compliant.

The North Carolina Supreme Court has upheld a law banning video sweepstake games offered in more than a thousand café-type establishments statewide. 

"Once it's ruled that it's not allowable in the state, then you'll see us start closing locations down," says Tony Whisnant, who operates four sweepstakes parlors, including on in Charlotte.

Whisnant says he's still looking through the ruling to see if there's a way to make his games legal.