NC Education Lottery launches new Digital Instants that can be played on personal phone, computer

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- There's a new way to gamble in North Carolina without even leaving your couch.

The North Carolina Education Lottery launched what it's calling Digital Instants games. The games can be played on your smartphone or computer.

You must have an account and deposit money into that account to play the games. There are multiple Digital Instants you can play -- such as Magic Winnings, Fortunes of Cleopatra and Robo Cash. The games cost between $0.05 and $30 per round.

The instant online games are now offered by eight other states. Lottery commission officials said the games will bring in new players to the lottery. They touted that the games were faster and more convenient than traditional scratch-off tickets.

Critics of the new games said they look eerily similar to video lottery terminals that are illegal to operate in North Carolina. Attorney General Josh Stein echoed those concerns in a letter to the lottery commission in 2020 where he said he was concerned "that these types of games prey on vulnerable people and risk real harm to both communities and families across the state."