There has been no indication the Royal Palace Theatre will fall back into the city’s ownership, Roanoke Rapids City Manager Joseph Scherer said today.

“They fully intend to comply with state law,” he said in the wake of reports today the state Supreme Court denied a request to delay closing down sweepstakes halls across the state. “There are a lot unknowns and we are waiting for further actions from the state. They (the theater) intend to follow the business model they indicated when they leased the theater.”

A spokesperson for the theater was not immediately available for comment this morning.

Halifax County Sheriff Jeff Frazier said the sheriff’s office is waiting for January 3 before taking machines out from businesses. “We will wait for the law to be done and act accordingly. January 3 will tell which route we go.”

News outlets across the state reported today that the state Supreme Court has denied a request to delay closing down North Carolina's sweepstakes halls.

Companies that produce the software behind video sweepstakes games wanted the state Supreme Court to delay the closure of sweepstakes halls as they appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Last week, the state Supreme Court upheld a state law declaring the sweepstakes halls to be gambling operations.

On Monday, the industry asked the state Supreme Court to delay enforcing the law that could shut down hundreds of businesses across North Carolina

The industry said it needed a few weeks to see if the U.S. Supreme Court would consider its claim of free-speech protections. The high court ruled last year that video games are protected by the First Amendment, just like books and films.

North Carolina's sheriffs are gearing up to start enforcing the law outlawing video sweepstakes operations next month. Without the state court ordering an enforcement delay, sweepstakes halls may be forced to close permanently and throw thousands of employees out of work, said Adam Charnes, an attorney for Hest Technologies Inc. and International Internet Technologies LLC Sweepstakes.