Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians support sports betting bill

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

A bear sculpture at the Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee, North Carolina. Photo: Harrah's Cherokee

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is supporting legislation to authorize sports betting on tribal lands in North Carolina.

Senate Bill 154 was heard by the Senate Committee on Commerce and Insurance on Wednesday afternoon. The measure requires sports betting to be conducted pursuant to a Class III gaming compact.

"Once passed, our two casinos will begin offering sports betting!" Chief Richard Sneed said in a post on social media he made during a lobbying trip in favor of the bill in February.

A landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision opened the door for tribes and states to offer sports betting. At this point, only a few tribes are currently offering such wagers on their lands.

The Eastern Band owns the Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort, its flagship facility, and the newer Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel, a newer property, on its reservation. Both are located in the western part of the state and are the only Indian gaming facilities in North Carolina.

Harrah's Cherokee Valley River, which opened in 2015, celebrated the installation of a solar panel array on Wednesday, the tribe's newspaper reported. The array is expected to address energy demand and cut costs, The Cherokee One Feather said.

"The solar project will generate 700 kilowatts of energy, saving roughly $100,000 annually, and is another great example of the Tribe and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel’s shared commitment to environmental sustainability," a post on social media stated.

In other Eastern Cherokee gaming news, the tribal council confirmed David "Scooter" E. McCoy Jr., to a seat on the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise Board, which oversees the gaming operation, The Smoky Mountain News reported. The vote took place March 14, the paper said.

Read More on the Story

Tribe opens solar power array at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River (The Cherokee One Feather March 27, 2019)
New members appointed to TCGE, TABCC (The Smoky Mountain News March 27, 2019)
Bill lets North Carolina tribe offer sports, horse betting (WRAL March 27, 2019)
State bill could bring sports betting to Cherokee casinos (The Cherokee One Feather March 11, 2019)
North Carolina considers tribal sports betting bill (SBC Americas March 1, 2019)
Cherokee casinos make first bet on sports wagering in North Carolina (The Raleigh News & Observer February 28, 2019)

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Oral Argument Transcript: Christie v. NCAA / New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, Inc. v. NCAA (December 4, 2017)

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