Catawba Two Kings Casino opens new sportsbook at its temporary venue in North Carolina

Catawba Nation opened Tuesday a new sportsbook inside the temporary facilities of Catawba Two Kings Casino in North Carolina. It will be open 24 hours a day with 30 betting kiosks and betting voucher redemption services. 

The Catawba sportsbook kickstarted its operations two days before the NFL begins its regular season, a timeline anticipated in June by its partner Delaware North. Betting at the facility will be offered for auto racing, baseball, basketball and soccer, among other sports. 

In an official statement, Trent Troxel, Vice President of the Catawba Nation Gaming Authority stated that he hopes "a new audience in the Charlotte region and beyond will discover the casino as they come to wager on their favorite teams". 

Did you hear? Our #Sportsbook is officially open and Emil D. was the first person to place a bet in the Sportsbook. Emil is pictured with Catawba Two Kings Sr. VP, Trent Troxel.

Football kicks off on Thursday so get into Two Kings to place your bets => https://t.co/uob607Dn8U pic.twitter.com/MUUwHs2n6r

— TwoKingsCasino (@twokingscasino) September 7, 2022

The Catawba Nation opened its casino in July 2021, and it now has 1,000 gambling machines, including electronic table games. The full Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort is expected to be completed within the next two years. The opening of the full casino has been held up by the approvals process by the National Indian Gaming Commission, which is still ongoing. A report from The Wall Street Journal on July 31 revealed that NIGC regulators have raised concerns about how much of the casino's financial benefit will go to outside backers instead of the Catawba Nation. Catawba Chief Bill Harris told the paper that his team was working to address those concerns. 

The state's other two sportsbooks opened in March 2021, at casinos operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Cherokee and Murphy. 

Catawba Two Kings Casino's gaming floor.

The General Assembly passed a law in 2019 that gave federally recognized American Indian tribes the ability to offer sports wagering in North Carolina. However, legislation to authorize sports betting across all of North Carolina - including online and in-person- did not pass in the state House in June. Sports betting supporters in North Carolina prepare themselves to push again for mobile wagering legalization next year, after efforts in the latest legislative session failed. 

In January, Catawba Indian Nation’s rights to operate a casino in North Carolina was reaffirmed by a new federal law. President Joe Biden signed the Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act, which affirms the tribe’s territory extends to North Carolina, and clarifies the nation is subject to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in said lands.