North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s administration is working on a draft gaming compact with the Catawba Nation for its $273 million casino in Kings Mountain, now under construction. The compact would address what games would be allowed and the amount of gaming revenue the tribe would direct to the state.
Cooper’s spokesman Ford Porter said the negotiations are occurring in secret under an exemption in the state open records act. He said a final compact would require public comment and ultimately approval from the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs,.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which operates two North Carolina casinos, opposes the South Carolina-based Catawbas’ plan and earlier this year filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior, which in March took into trust the land on Interstate 85 for the casino. The Eastern Band says the land is Cherokee historic territory but the Catawbas claim their ancestral territory includes parts of North Carolina. Casino gambling is illegal in South Carolina.
An economic development evaluation estimated the project could create more than 1,600 construction jobs and more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs. The Catawba Nation is partnering with Sky Boat Gaming to develop and operate the casino.
