NC appeals court upholds video gaming convictions

EMERY P. DALESIO
Associated Press

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — The North Carolina Court of Appeals is upholding the convictions of two people for violating the state law banning internet sweepstakes games.

State Attorney General Roy Cooper’s office said Tuesday’s ruling is the first time appeals court judges had considered a criminal case in connection with the video sweepstakes industry.

The three-judge panel ruled unanimously, meaning the Edgecombe County case can’t be automatically appealed to the state Supreme Court. The higher court could still weigh in.

State lawmakers banned Internet-based sweepstakes games with entertaining displays in 2010. The state Supreme Court upheld the law in 2012.

Those businesses still operating say their games use revised computer software that makes them legal. Different lower court rulings have come down in various cases, leading to uneven law enforcement across the state.

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