Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians prepares to offer sports betting

Monday, July 29, 2019

Artist's rendering of The Book, a sports betting area coming to the Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee, North Carolina, in the fall of 2019. Image courtesy of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will offer sports betting at its two gaming facilities after an authorizing bill was signed into law in North Carolina.

Development of "The Book" at the Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort and at the Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel will begin immediately. Work is expected to be complete in the fall.

“This is an exciting time,” Brooks Robinson, Regional Senior Vice President and General Manager of Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos, said in a news release on Monday, The Cherokee One Feather reported.

“We continuously work to offer new experiences and opportunities to our customers and are confident that our new sportsbook will be an added delight for our guests and sports fans,.” Robinson said.

On Friday, Gov. Roy Cooper (R) signed Senate Bill 154 into law. The measure authorizes sports betting on "Indian lands" pursuant to a Class III gaming compact.

Under the terms of the new law, the Eastern Band is the only tribe eligible to offer sports betting in North Carolina.

A landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2018 opened the door for tribes and states to offer sports betting. At this point, though, only a few tribes are currently offering such wagers on their lands.

Read More on the Story

Hitting the ground running: Harrah’s Cherokee working on sportsbooks (The Cherokee One Feather July 29, 2019)
Harrah's Cherokee Casino to open sportsbook (WLOS July 29, 2019)
North Carolina signs tribal betting bill into law (SBC Global July 29, 2019)
Here’s when you can place a legal sports bet in North Carolina (The Raleigh News & Observer July 29, 2019)
Gov. Cooper signs law allowing sports gambling at NC tribal casinos (The Raleigh News & Observer July 26, 2019)
Casino traffic in Cherokee booming, but some say it distracts from tribe’s legacy (The Raleigh News & Observer July 26, 2019) $P

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