RALEIGH — On March 12, the Catawba Indian Nation held a press conference to present renderings and construction plans for a new destination casino on a site in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.

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The Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort draws its name from Catawba Chief King Hagler. During his leadership in the mid-1700s, he allied his nation with the American colonists who revolted against the British at the time of the Revolutionary War. A rendering of the Catawba tribe’s proposed casino and resort, which would be built near Kings Mountain The more casinos in a region, the less positive the impact. The new resort, operated by the Catawba Indian Nation, would be the third Indian casino in western North Carolina.

According to a press release, the U.S. Department of the Interior has taken the land in question into trust and, as a result, the Catawba Indian Nation can now move forward with the proposed project.

“The Nation is very thankful for the Department’s decision to take this land into trust, enabling us to achieve the promise of self-determination though economic development,” said Chief Harris in a statement.

• KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. (WBTV) - The Catawba Indian Nation will present, on Friday, plans and renderings of the new destination casino planned for a site in Kings Mountain, N.C. As a result of the recent U.S. Department of the Interior’s decision, land in Kings Mountain will be taken into trust so the Catawba Indian Nation can move forward with.
• After seven years, the Catawba Indian Nation received approval for a Kings Mountain casino this week. They likely face additional battles over the project as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
• After years of on-again, off-again efforts, the Catawba Indians plan to break ground Wednesday on a nearly $300 million casino 35 miles from Charlotte in Kings Mountain.

“The Department has a very rigorous process for reviewing proposed trust land acquisitions. We are very thankful for the hard work of the Department’s solicitors and staff on our application, who carefully reviewed our history, including our historic land settlement, ensuring that it is consistent with the Supreme Court’s Carcieri decision,” Harris said.

The proposed destination casino and resort is projected to bring as many as 5,000 construction jobs and 4,000 permanent jobs to the King’s Mountain area. Supporters of the casino estimate it will bring $350 million in potential revenue to the town, which is located just 35 miles west of Charlotte.

The Catawba Indian Nation statement said that the tribe plans to “begin working closely with Gov. Cooper’s office so that the state of North Carolina can also benefit from the project in Kings Mountain.”

The proposed casino project, which was first discussed during tribal meetings in 2013, now is expected to include a $600 million 220,000-square-foot casino complex with an estimated 1,796 electronic gaming devices and 54 table games. There is a plan for a 1,500-room hotel, as well as restaurants, shopping and a full-sized concert and event venue.

The Catawba Indians are located in South Carolina, but claim tribal lands that extend north into the area of the casino project near King’s Mountain. The project has been met with strong opposition from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians located in North Carolina, which operate casinos further to the west of King’s Mountain.

The Catawba River is named after the tribe and originates in Western North Carolina. The word “catawba” means “the people of the river” in their Siouan language. The tribe’s name is also referenced in Catawba County, a foothills county whose county seat is Hickory. Catawba College, now located in Salisbury, was founded in Newton, a town in Catawba County.

The federal government terminated recognition of the tribe in 1959. In 1973, the Catawba Indian Nation reorganized and began the process of reestablishing federal recognition. In 1993, the federal government recognized the Catawba nation and paid, along with the state of South Carolina, a $50 million settlement for land claims.

The Eastern Band is promising to sue the U.S. government for “its illegal and corrupt decision” to allow Catawba casino to go forward.

In a press release, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians claim that the government is ignoring federal laws that prohibit the “Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina” from tribal government gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

“The federal government has no right or authority to create a new reservation for the Catawba Nation across state lines, into Cherokee historical territory, just to build a casino,” Chief Richard Sneed said in a statement.

The statement also says that the Bureau of Indian Affairs also has yet to consult with the Cherokee on protection measures and that a possibility exists of archaeological artifacts and resources being discovered during construction on the proposed casino site.

“This decision creates a dangerous precedent for all federally recognized tribes that empowers corrupt developers and their lobbyists to use politicians to determine what laws and precedents are followed and which ones are ignored. This decision cannot and will not stand,” said Sneed.

The Cherokees operate two casinos west of King’s Mountain: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, which is 130 miles away; and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel, around 190 miles away. The Catawba casino would be located just 35 miles from Charlotte.

The casino project also drew harsh criticism in early 2019 from North Carolina state lawmakers after North Carolina’s two U.S. senators, Republicans Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, signed on as primary sponsors of a bill introduced by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

U.S. Senate Bill 790, which has had no activity since being introduced in March of 2019, would have authorized the U.S. Department of the Interior to allow the South Carolina Catawba Nation to obtain around 16 acres near Kings Mountain in North Carolina for its proposed casino complex. With the Department of the Interior now taking the land into trust, the bill has been rendered unnecessary.

Thirty-eight N.C. state lawmakers signed a letter opposing the casino project bill. The letter dated May 16, was sent to the chairman and vice chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and called Senate Bill 790 an “unprecedented overreach.”

The letter to the committee also said if the project was allowed to go forward it would “encroach upon Cherokee aboriginal territory defined in the Cherokee Treaty 1777 map.” The letter also said it would “deal an economic blow to a region of the state that depends on this industry and the thousands of jobs it provides annually.”

At the time, Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) said “This bill that was introduced by a South Carolina senator to allow property in North Carolina to be given to a South Carolina tribe is something that I would hope our representatives would fight.”

House Speaker Tim Moore, a Republican from Kings Mountain, took no position on the bill last year, despite it being proposed for his town.

As a casino in Kings Mountain becomes more of a reality, people are still fighting to stop it from happening.

The Catawba Indian Nation broke ground on the gaming facility on Wednesday, marking the start of something new after years of debate on whether or not it would come. Catawba Indian Nation Chief Bill Harris says the casino isn’t just coming, it’s here.

“Work begins today toward more prosperity, increased opportunities, and a renewed bond between the Catawba Indian Nation and the great state of North Carolina,” Harris said. “Let’s get started.”

Here are things to keep in mind as the project moves forward.

Economic impact

A new February 2020 economic impact assessment from London & Associates, shows that the casino resort project will represent a $273-million investment in Cleveland County.

Project construction activity will generate $311 million with the employment of 2,347 people from direct, indirect and induced effects.

Once operational, the Catawba facility will generate $308 million per year of direct economic activity and employ 2,600 workers, the study projected. An additional $77.3 million per year in indirect impact through purchases from local business is also anticipated along with another $42.8 million per year in induced impact from employer expenditures.

2013: Catawba Nation began the process to secure 16 acres of land in the Nation’s service area within Cleveland County for the development of an entertainment resort destination. Cleveland County and the city of Kings Mountain supported the efforts.

2014-2020: The United States Bureau of Indian Affairs looks into the Catawba Nation’s petition for putting the land into trust.

2019: United States Senators Richard Burr, Lindsey Graham and Thom Tillis encourage the request to accept 16 acres of land into trust for the Catawba Indian Nation.

March 2020: 16.57 acres of land on Dixons School Road are acquired in the name of the United States of America in Trust for the Catawba Indian Nation.

April 2020: Bureau of Indian Affairs approved leasing regulations under the HEARTH Act of 2012, meaning the Tribe can enter into business leases without further BIA approval.

April 2020: The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians file a lawsuit in hopes of stopping the Catawbas from building. It is denied in federal court. The Cherokees continue with a lawsuit against the United States Department of Interior for granting the land into trust for the Catawba Nation.

July 2020: The Catawba Indian Nation hosts a groundbreaking ceremony for the gaming facility.

The total effect is 3,579 jobs attributed to casino activity.

The casino is expected to open by summer 2021, and will initially feature approximately 1,300 machines, food and beverages, as well as entertainment. The new casino will be operated by the global hospitality company Delaware North.

License to game

While the Catawba Nation is eager to start work, there are still a few more hurdles that the South Carolina-based tribe must go through to have more than Bingo and non-banked card games at their facility.

The Nation will need approval from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s office to go from class II gaming to class III, which includes all other forms of gambling, including casino-style gambling.

“We are very optimistic that the negotiations will take place in the near future. We look forward to being an outstanding partner to the State of North Carolina,” said Wally Fayssoux, legal representative for Skyboat Gaming.

The Catawbas can only operate class III games if they have an agreement with the state and approval from the federal government, according to the American Gaming Association.

“The Tribe has the right to engage in class II gaming without a compact,” said Elizabeth Harris, tribal administrator. “However, the Tribe believes very much in working in partnership with other governments, not only Cleveland County and Kings Mountain, but also the State of North Carolina. The Tribe looks forward to negotiating a compact with the governor so that the great State of North Carolina fully benefits from this important economic development project.”

Opposition

Just last week, some Kings Mountain residents received flyers from a group called Defend NC decrying the building of the facility. The flyer states that an “out-of-state developer is trying to force a casino in Kings Mountain.”

This is just one of many groups that has spoken out against the casino over the years. Multiple Facebook groups have sprung back to life as news that a facility was coming.

A new petition meant for Cooper’s desk urges the governor not to allow the facility to receive class III gambling status.

“The Catawbas broke ground on a casino near King’s Mountain, but there are two obstacles. There is a pending lawsuit to overturn the Department of Interior’s decision, and the tribe has not signed an agreement with Governor Roy Cooper. Sign this petition to encourage the Governor to NOT sign a compact with the Catawbas to allow full-scale gambling in Cleveland County,” read a statement from the group “Say NO to a Casino in Cleveland County.”

In the years leading up to the groundbreaking, the group’s members have been vocal at county commission and city of Kings Mountain meetings. One of the group’s fears is the crime that could be brought to the area. Kings Mountain Mayor Scott Neisler addressed those fears.

The city and the Nation have discussed the possibility and have each pledged to work together to stay on top of any crime that might be generated on-site, he said.

“We are already working on ways to combat this,” Neisler said.

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Neisler reiterated that neither the city nor the developers want the casino to turn into a haven for crime and will be a “wholesome entertainment complex.”

Hope of partnership

Those area residents are not the only ones who oppose the Catawbas building in North Carolina. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians stated their disapproval for the project since the beginning.

In 2019, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians released a letter with 38 of the 50 members of the North Carolina State Senate sent to U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee expressing opposition to a bill filed in 2019 that was meant to push forward the project. But the project continued to move forward despite it.

As news came of the Nation getting approval, the EBCI, which owns the only two casinos in North Carolina, filed a lawsuit trying to stop the Catawbas from building and against the Department of Interior for granting the land trust.

Richard Sneed, principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, denounced the decision by the Department of Interior to accept about 17 acres of land in Cleveland County into federal trust for the Catawba’s gambling purposes.

Even with the pushback, Harris said he wants to work with the EBCI on a partnership between the facilities.

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“I see it as nation building. Let me say this, indigenous people have had a hard road of hope for many, many years. If we can come together, there is a phrase out there, ‘There is strength in numbers.’ So instead of inter-fighting, let’s unite and make something better,” Harris said.

Joyce Orlando can be reached at 704-669-3341 or find her on Twitter @Star_J_Orlando.

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This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Doubling down on the Kings Mountain casino