The Catawba Nation is a big part of the gaming industry in North Carolina, and that’s only going to get stronger this month. On June 7th, the Catawba Nation is going to break ground on a brand new $700 million casino and hotel.
This new casino project is going to be built in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, and it’s going to be called Two Kings Casino. This was actually supposed to start much sooner, but there was battle between the Catawba Nation and Sky Boat Gaming.
Those two groups agreed to settle out of court back in May, and that allowed Catawba Nation to move forward with a new developer. Early 2026 is the target opening date for this new property, and it should immediately become popular in the state.
North Carolian is not a state with a huge gaming industry, but it’s federally recognized tribes such as Catawba Nation that are making a strong push. Not only will this open up a new gaming option in the state, but over 2,000 jobs are going to be created because of this project.
The state legislature has been discussing a new bill to allow for online casino gaming, but that has not come through yet. Online sports betting is available in the state, and it seems likely that online casino gaming is coming at some point.
A Look at the New Casino
This new property is going to be much more than a basic casino as Catawba Nation wants to create a top destination for residents. Delaware North is the consultant on this project, and the plans appear to be outstanding.
This project will be done in two phases as the Native American tribe wants to get the casino up and running first. There will initially be a single-story casino on the property with 1,350 slot machines available.
Those that are looking for table games will only find 12 of them at first, but 100 table games will be available when Phase 2 is complete. There will be a sportsbook on-site after Phase 1 is complete, but there will only be self-serve kiosks.
A small restaurant is included in Phase 1 of this project, but there will eventually be five restaurants on the property. The hotel portion of this project will include a hotel that has 400 rooms, and new sports bars are going to be added.
Other Casinos Available
All of the current casinos in the state are run by federally-recognized tribes as retail casinos are not yet legal. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians currently runs the other two casino properties and they are both run by Caesars Entertainment.
The Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort is one of the properties that is up and running, and the other one is the Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River. This new casino property could eventually lead to more sports betting opportunities as well, but the Catawba Nation is looking for an online sports betting partner
