A late Fridy ruling handed down by the N.C. Supreme Court overturned a March ruling opening the door to unlimited video gaming in the state.

Numerous laws have been passed by the General Assembly to ban most forms of video gaming, but a 2 to 1 March Court of Appeals  ruling determined the law violated free speech.

The N.C. Supreme Court ruling found no merit to that argument, ruling that, “Since the founding of this nation, states have exercised the police power to regulate gambling.”

The ruling clears the way for local law enforcement agencies to begin immediately closing down the video gaming establishments that have cropped up across the county through the years.

After enforcement efforts became difficult in 2009 due to unclear language in the ordinance, Canton, Waynesville and Maggie ...