The governing council of North Carolina’s Lumbee Tribe voted 17-2 to amend the group’s constitution. Now, the tribe’s governing document allows for casino gambling.
Next up is a full tribal vote. If the majority of the members vote “yes,” the Lumbees will open a casino. The tribe will host the full vote on June 23.
Tribal leaders were pleased to see the process toward potentially building a casino move forward.
“(The) Tribal Council finds it is in the best interest and welfare of the tribe to authorize gaming activities on tribal lands,” the council noted in a resolution supporting the constitutional amendment.
Fourth Casino Potentially Coming
In December, the Lumbee purchased 241 acres of land in Robeson County for $6 million. If the group’s 60,000 members approve gaming, then the tribe could build a casino on the site after reaching a gaming compact with the state.
The casino would be near the North Carolina-South Carolina border off the highly traveled I-95 interstate.
The tribe worked for decades to secure federal recognition and achieved that in December. North Carolina currently has only three casinos, tribal properties in Cherokee, Murphy, and Kings Mountain.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians operates two casinos in the state. It opposed federal recognition for the Lumbees, according to the North State Journal, in an effort to protect gaming interests.
A Lumbee-operated property would be the first casino in the state east of Charlotte. The property could attract gamblers from South Carolina, which has failed in several attempts at legalizing casino gambling.
The Lumbee are currently working to put the new land, tribal headquarters, and cultural center into a federal trust. That move would shield the land from eminent domain and offer other protections for the tribe.
North Carolina Poker Scene
While it’s not known if a potential Lumbee property would include a poker room, North Carolina has a lively card-playing scene. Harrah’s Cherokee properties in Cherokee and Murphy both host poker rooms.
The casino in Cherokee has historically been a popular stop for the World Series of Poker Circuit. Georgia’s Maxwell Guo won the latest WSOP Circuit main event at the property in February. He collected $386,231 in an event that featured 1,824 entrants.
In December, Derek Sein-Lwin topped a field of 1,190 entries in another WSOP Circuit main event for a $281,514 top prize and his first championship gold ring.
