The Catawba Indian Nation announced on Thursday that it has taken full control of the Two Kings Casino Resort in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The tribe has bought out the property and the gaming operations from Sky Boat LLC, a South Carolina company that helped launch the casino last year.

A historic milestone for the tribe

The Catawba Nation is the only federally recognized tribe in South Carolina, but it has ancestral ties to North Carolina, where it once occupied a large territory. The tribe has been pursuing a casino project in North Carolina for over a decade, facing legal and political challenges from the state and other tribes.

In March 2020, the U.S. Department of the Interior approved the tribe’s request to take 17 acres of land in Kings Mountain into trust for gaming purposes. The decision was based on a 1993 settlement agreement that allowed the Catawba to operate games of chance in accordance with state law.

In July 2021, the tribe opened a temporary casino on the site, featuring 1,000 slot machines and electronic table games. The casino was operated by Sky Boat LLC, a company owned by Wallace Cheves, a prominent gaming developer and lobbyist in South Carolina.

On Thursday, the tribe announced that it has acquired the property and the gaming operations from Sky Boat, becoming the sole owner of the Two Kings Casino Resort. The tribe said the deal will enable future growth and expansion of the casino, as well as create more jobs and revenue for the tribe and the region.

“This is a historic milestone for the Catawba Nation and our people,” said Chief Bill Harris in a press release. “We are grateful to Sky Boat for their partnership and support in launching the casino, and we are excited to take full ownership and control of our destiny.”

A vision for a destination resort

The tribe has a vision to transform the Two Kings Casino Resort into a destination resort that will attract visitors from across the region and beyond. The tribe has partnered with Delaware North, a global hospitality and entertainment company, to manage the casino and the resort.

The tribe plans to break ground on the first phase of the resort in 2024, which will include a 400-room hotel tower, a 2,000-seat event center, a spa, a pool, and more gaming options. The resort will also feature a variety of dining and retail outlets, as well as cultural and historical exhibits that showcase the Catawba heritage.

The tribe expects the resort to be completed in two to three years, with an estimated cost of $600 million. The resort will create more than 2,500 permanent jobs and generate millions of dollars in tax revenue for the state and the local governments.

The name of the casino, Two Kings, refers to the 18th century Catawba Chief King Hagler and the city of Kings Mountain, which was the site of a pivotal battle in the American Revolution. The tribe said the name reflects the history and the future of the Catawba people and the region.

“We are proud to honor our past and celebrate our future with the Two Kings Casino Resort,” said Chief Harris. “We look forward to creating a world-class entertainment destination that will benefit our tribe, our neighbors, and our state.”

A legal dispute with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

The Catawba Nation’s casino project has been opposed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which operates two casinos in western North Carolina under a compact with the state. The Cherokee claim that the Catawba are infringing on their ancestral lands and their exclusive gaming rights in North Carolina.

The Cherokee filed a lawsuit in federal court in 2020, seeking to stop the Catawba from building the casino in Kings Mountain. The lawsuit argued that the Interior Department’s decision to take the land into trust was unlawful and violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act.

The lawsuit is still pending in the court, but the judge has denied the Cherokee’s request for a preliminary injunction to halt the construction and operation of the casino. The judge ruled that the Cherokee did not show a likelihood of success on the merits of their claims, or that they would suffer irreparable harm from the casino.

The Catawba Nation has maintained that it has a legal and historical right to pursue gaming in North Carolina, and that it has followed all the federal and state regulations. The tribe has also said that it welcomes competition and cooperation with the Cherokee, and that there is enough market demand for both tribes to succeed.

“We respect the sovereignty and the rights of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and we hope they will respect ours,” said Chief Harris. “We believe that there is room for both of us to grow and prosper, and we are willing to work together for the benefit of our people and our state.”