- North Carolina sports betting was made legal in the summer of 2019.
- The industry has not yet opened in the Tar Heel State even though the Cherokee Tribe has submitted all of the paperwork that is still awaiting approval.
- Once Governor Roy Cooper signs the Tribal Compacts, Caesars sportsbook is ready to open at both Harrahs’ locations in North Carolina.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – North Carolina legalized sports betting in July of 2019 but their industry has still not launched well over a year later.
Once they roll out to the public, sportsbooks will open at the two Cherokee owned casinos in the state, Harrah’s in Murphy and Harrah’s in Cherokee, NC.
LegalSportsBetting spoke to Chief Richard Sneed of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) to discuss what stage the legal sports wagering industry in the Tar Heel State is in at this point.
Talking With Chief Sneed
Brooks Robinson, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos regional senior vice president and general manager, commented, “Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos are one step closer to sports betting with the recent.
When it comes to Tribal gaming, it’s an entirely different ball game than that of commercial gaming.
- The state is home to two sports betting lounges, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel. These locations have picked Caesars to run their sports wagering operations with “The Book” as their sportsbook of choice.
- Screens will be key at The Book, the new sports betting lounges planned for casinos in Cherokee and Murphy. JCJ Architecture rendering After a yearlong delay, the effort to bring sports betting to Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos is finally moving forward following Gov. Roy Cooper’s approval of a proposed amendment to the Eastern Band of Cherokee.
- One business day after N.C. Governor Roy Cooper signed legislation making sports betting legal for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos officials released their plans.
Tribes need to go through more processes for their markets to open, one within their own government and then one with the state.
Considering that sports wagers are classified as Class III gaming, the EBCI expected that they would have already opened their sportsbooks because it was a mere addition to the compacts that they have in place already. But that has not been the case.
“The legislature passed the legislation to allow for sports betting on Tribal land and it was signed by the Governor. However, the second part of the process is under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) where we have to negotiate the compact to add sports betting which we thought would be a very short process because it’s just another form of Class III gaming but for whatever reason, it has turned into this big, long drawn out process that’s coming up on a year,” said Chief Sneed to LegalSportsBetting.
Compact negotiations with the Governor’s office began in September 2019, two months after the signing of Senate Bill 154 into law. This marks a year of the state being in limbo without a sports wagering market being offered to the people of North Carolina.
All compact paperwork to add sports betting to their current documents has been submitted to Governor Roy Cooper’s office for his signature. The ball is now in Cooper’s court as everything has been ironed out on the Tribal end of the process.
“That’s where we are at right now, we are just waiting on the Governor to sign it because when that happens, we’re ready to roll,” said Sneed.
Upon the signing by Cooper, legal sports betting in North Carolina can finally launch.
The sportsbook operator chosen by the EBCI for their two locations is Caesars Entertainment. They are prepared to open their sportsbook immediately after the compact is signed. Everything has been constructed and is ready to go once pen hits paper.
“My hope is that he (the Governor) will sign it by sometime next week but that’s entirely up to him, I don’t have any say on the matter. We had hoped to have been open already,” said Sneed.
With any luck, North Carolina will have legal sportsbooks at Harrah’s in time for the NFL season. Until then, Chief Sneed and sports bettors in the Tar Heel State continue to sit and wait for the green light by Governor Cooper.
News tags: Caesars Entertainment | Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians | EBCI | Harrahs | IGRA | Indian Gaming Regulatory Act | NFL | North Carolina | Richard Sneed | Roy Cooper
Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.
North Carolina tribal casinos may soon offer sports betting and off-track horse race wagering.
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel plan to integrate brick-and-mortar sportsbooks by early 2021.
The properties will name both sportsbooks The Book.
Harrah’s Casinos pave the way for North Carolina sports betting
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper set a tribal-state gaming compact amendment in motion with an agreement made last week.
The emergency resolution permits sports and off-track horse race wagering in two casinos operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). EBCI Principal Chief Richard G.Sneed originally submitted the resolution.
EBCI’s Tribal Council concluded its regular session on Thursday, Dec. 3 by unanimously approving the amendment.
Gov. Cooper will now receive the compact for signature. The US Dept. of the Interior receives it next for a 45-day comment period and approval.
Once rubber stamped, The Book will be cleared for action in both Harrah’s locations.
The state of North Carolina will regulate these sportsbooks.
The Book gears up for early 2021 launch
Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise attorney Ann Davis is optimistic for a launch by the end of January. However, she notes administrative changes and ongoing COVID-19 regulations as realistic timeframe inhibitors.
Harrah Sports Betting Line Today
Since the pandemic’s onset, casino operations have diminished drastically. The ECBI tribe sees these additional wagering options as an integral source of income.
Chief Sneed said,
“We are excited to immediately begin implementing sports betting at our gaming properties. COVID-19 has negatively impacted funding for critical community services within our Nation, so we welcome this new diverse revenue stream. The addition of these new services is a positive step towards a more stable and secure future for our Tribal members and government operations.”
Currently, the two Harrah’s locations are the only casinos operating in North Carolina.
Legislators recently approved plans for an additional casino. The Catawba Indian Nation will operate Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort.
As the state’s only federally-recognized tribe, the ECBI staunchly opposes the new project. The introduction of a competitor will put its long-established state dominion in jeopardy and further reduce casino capital.
North Carolina’s sports betting future
Casinos have legally operated in North Carolina since January 1995, when the state’s first interim casino opened.
It wasn’t until July 2019 that a bill was set in motion to legalize sports betting and horse race wagering within North Carolina tribal casinos.
Online betting, on the other hand, is still restricted to daily fantasy sports and lottery games.
Harrah's Cherokee Sports Betting
If North Carolina’s first attempt at sports betting is successful, the state could sanction further expansion efforts.
A study of sports wagering, approved by the North Carolina legislature in 2019, was recently conducted by Spectrum Gaming. The subsequent report recommended that the North Carolina Lottery establish and operate online wagering and brick-and-mortar sports betting locations itself.
In general, states with lottery-operated sports betting markets generate significantly less handle than states with multiple operators.
For instance, the DC Lottery, which operates in conjunction with a single sportsbook, reported$1.2 million in total handle in the first two months after launch.
On the other hand, the Tennessee Education Lottery regulates multiple Tennessee sportsbooks, and bettors in the state wagered $27 million during the first week alone.
Sports Betting At Harrah's Cherokee
The Book at Harrah’s will offer an initial glimpse at the desire for sports betting in North Carolina.