Tribal Turf War Still Ongoing For North Carolina Casino

• An amended complaint was filed to stop the building of a casino operated by the Catawba Indian Nation.
• The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians believe that the land belongs to them and are fighting for the DOI to stop the approval for the development of the casino.
• The decision seems to be final and the casino could create many jobs for the community and give gamblers more options around the state.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The newest development in the deal for the South Carolina-based Catawaba Indian Nation to build a casino in North Carolina could be halted again after the announcement of an addition to the lawsuit by a competing North Carolina-based tribe.

This week, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has filed an amendment to the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI). The complaint challenged the approval by the federal government for the development of the Catawba casino in Kings Mountain, NC.

A judge previously denied the initial motion in April because of the lack of proof of irreparable harm provided by the Eastern Band and its members that live close to the proposed site.

The motion which was filed in March would have led to a preliminary injunction on the building of the casino in this location that they say historically belongs to the Cherokee tribe.

The Cherokee tribe also believes the DOI has illegally allowed for the proposed plans by not contacting them to “identify and protect cultural resources” that could be at the site.

Despite the attempts to stall the building of the casino, Bill Harris, Catawaba Chief expects the developing plans to continue.

“We are confident that the judge will find that the Department of Interior followed all federal laws and made the proper decision regarding our application,” said Harris in a statement.

Conner Swanson, The Department of Interior spokesperson said that the decision to approve the location “was reached after an extensive review process as established under law, and the Department stands behind its decision.” The approval of the site could also be very economically beneficial for the state.

The state’s government found that a $273 million investment in the building of a North Carolina gambling facility could provide over 1,600 construction jobs on top of over 300 jobs directly and indirectly connected.

The Eastern band of Cherokee Indians currently operates two casinos in North Carolina and if the lawsuit fails again the state will have a new tribal casino for residents to have access to legal gambling.