About 150 players recently attended the grand opening of the Catawba Indian Nation’s bingo hall in a former Bi-Lo grocery store in Rock Hill, North Carolina. It was the first time the Catawbas have offered bingo since 2006, when their Nations in Rock Hill bingo hall shut down amid allegations of money mismanagement, tax issues and competition from the state’s education lottery. At the opening, Catawba Chief Bill Harris said, “Can you feel the positive energy in the room? I can only feel good about this. It’s been a long time coming.”
A 1993 land settlement with state and federal government allows the tribe to offer two high-stakes bingo operations, one in York County, but not casino gambling. The tribe is considering its legal options regarding a casino in light of the state Supreme Court’s ruling that the state ban on video poker machine does apply to the tribe’s reservation.
There is no admission charge to the hall, which can accommodate 1,300 players. The space underwent a $365,000 renovation. Currently the bingo hall employs 15 tribal members. Smoking is prohibited and the hall does not sell alcohol. Players must be 18 years of age or older.
Payouts range from $499 to $3,500. “High-stakes” bingo will feature jackpots up to $100,000. High payoffs would be “pre-sold before they happen,” Harris has said. Players can rent electronic machines or purchase paper bingo cards.
Meanwhile, while the U.S. Department of Interior reviews the Catawba’s application to put land into trust for a $340 million casino in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, opposition continues to grow. A residents’ group recently brought in Les Bernal, national director of the anti-gambling organization Stop Predatory Gambling, who said a casino will hurt Kings Mountain morally and financially.
Speaking at the Family Worship Center in King’s Mountain, Bernal said, “Local citizens here, they’re not pounding the table for a place to go lose their rent checks, their mortgage and their college tuition dollars. There’s a difference between the local Super Bowl office pool versus a business model that’s based on exploiting people. The revenue model for casinos is one where they make 40 to 60 percent of their profits from people who are addicted to slot machines.”
A Facebook page created to oppose the casino has more than 1200 likes.
In response, Harris asked, “Are we coming in and going to destroy Cleveland County? No sir. I’ve had business people within the community say if you open your resort, I’m opening a mini-mall, so not only are you going to be employing people, I’m going to be employing people.” He said the casino would create 5,000 construction and permanent jobs.
