The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper recently agreed on amendments to the tribal-state gaming compact that would allow the tribe to offer sportsbooks, called the Book, at its Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel in Murphy.
Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed said, “We are excited to immediately begin implementing sports betting at our gaming properties. Covid-19 has negatively impacted funding for critical community services within our nation, so we welcome this new diverse revenue stream. The addition of these new services is a positive step towards a more stable and secure future for our tribal members and government operations.”
Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos Regional Senior Vice President and General Manager Brooks Robinson added, “Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos are excited and ready to receive sports fans in Murphy and Cherokee, North Carolina upon final approval.”
Submitted as an emergency resolution by Sneed, Resolution No. 362 (2020) was pass unanimously by the Eastern Band tribal council at its final session of the year. Sneed wrote in a letter to Tribal Council Chairman Adam Wachacha, “Sports wagering is a new and additional revenue source for the tribe. The pandemic has caused a contracting of the tribe’s budget and has put tribal program and entities at risk of financial jeopardy.”
Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise Attorney Ann Davis said she hoped sports wagering would be in place by the end of January “or maybe in time for Super Bowl. I wouldn’t hold your breath though. There are two issues with the Department of the Interior—Covid-19 and the administration change.”
North Carolina Senate Bill 154 was introduced in February 2019 by state Senator Jim Davis. It passed the Senate on April 9, 2019 and the House in a 90-27 vote on July 15. Cooper signed it into law on Friday, July 26, 2019. The compact now goes back to him for his signature and then to the secretary of state and attorney general, before being sent to the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs. The BIA will advertise a 45-day public comment period before the document can take effect.
Under the amended compact, sports betting can occur only on tribal lands and only for sporting events that take place outside the reservation. Bettors will have to place wagers on-site at either casino but eventually some limited online betting on tribal lands but outside a casino may be allowed, Davis said. “Once the geofencing software is available, we can geofence the reservation so that bets can be placed outside the casino, as long as they are placed on reservation lands.”
Eastern Band Chief of Staff Ashleigh Stephens said Cooper has asked for $191,000 a year to help defray any costs relating to problem gambling services or regulating sports betting. It’s estimated that we should have around $10 million gross revenues as a result of this, so $191,000 is a small price to pay.”
