The South Carolina-based Catawba are building Two Kings Casino Resort, a $273m property 45 minutes west of Charlotte.
The Catawba signed a gaming-compact with North Carolina Gov. Ray Cooper, which then went to a 45-day review by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The tribe received approval from the BIA earlier this month.
“This is great news for the Catawba Nation, the State of North Carolina and the Kings Mountain region, and I’d like to thank the Bureau of Indian Affairs for its work in reviewing our Compact,” Catawba assistant chief Jason Harris said. “Our focus now is developing the casino to bring economic benefits and thousands of jobs to the citizens of North Carolina.”
The BIA’s approval comes one year after the Department of Interior signed off on 17 acres of land into trust status for the tribe. The Catawba’s efforts drew opposition from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nations, who operate North Carolina’s two casinos on the northwest end of the state.
The EBCN sued the Catawbas and the DOI last year in a move to stop development of Two Kings Casino Resort. The case is still pending.
