The casino also faced lawsuits from the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. Lindsey Graham got involved, pushing legislation through Congress, and the Interior Department gave final approval to the project in 2020. It took years for the Catawba to get the land and permission to build a new casino just over the border in North Carolina, about 45 miles from their reservation.

In 2013, the Catawba turned their attention to North Carolina, where the Cherokee already operated a casino in the western corner of the state. But despite receiving federal recognition, South Carolina officials (including Haley, the former governor) opposed allowing the tribe to build a casino. The Catawba reservation is southeast of the casino site, with two sections along the Catawba River near Rock Hill, South Carolina. The investigation by the National Indian Gaming Commission is the latest in a long history of speed bumps for the Catawba casino.Īlmost 30 years ago, President Bill Clinton signed the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993. The federal law recognized the tribe, settled land claims and gave the Catawba permission to open a casino, but only if state officials agreed. In the meantime, the casino is operating out of a temporary building, a long stretch of trailers with about 1,000 gaming machines, according to the tribe. The vision for Two Kings Casino is for a large, modern casino and resort on the site just off Interstate 85, less than 40 minutes from Uptown Charlotte.

The effort required congressional action and faced several legal challenges before getting the green light from the Trump administration in 2020. The Catawba have been working for decades to get permission to open a tribal casino, first in South Carolina and then turning their attention to North Carolina. Haley also served as ambassador to the United Nations under Donald Trump. Nikki Haley, the Wall Street Journal reported this week. The people benefiting include the brother of South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn and the husband of former South Carolina Gov. Construction on a new casino outside Charlotte could be delayed as federal investigators look into who is benefiting from the Catawba Two Kings Casino.

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