13-02-2025
Will NC legalize casinos on non-native lands in 2025? Majority approve, poll says
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Outside of lands belonging to recognized native tribes and waters more than 3 miles offshore on gambling cruise ships, casinos are not legally able to operate in North Carolina. There's a chance that will change this year.
While looking at the priorities for the General Assembly in 2025, Senate Minority Leader Sydney Batch said changing state law to allow for more casinos was one of just two key, non-partisan issues in 2024. The other, he said, was medical marijuana—which also seems likely to be revisited in 2025.
In new polling released Thursday by Meredith College, the issue was weighed by hundreds of respondents representing N.C. voters across the state. Unsurprisingly, a majority favored legalizing it.
The breakdown was 58% in support, 32% opposed and the remaining 10% without a stance on the issue.
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'Most North Carolinians seem accustomed to all forms of gambling, so supporting casino gambling in the state does not seem unusual,' said poll director, David McLennan.
'We have the lottery and have just adopted online sports wagering in the state. Plus, many states, including those on the border of North Carolina, now have casino gambling so even citizens who might have had objections to casino gambling 20 years ago might be resigned to the fact that all forms of gambling are inevitable,' McLennan added.
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North Carolina's largest casino is in Cherokee—just under a five hour drive from Raleigh. Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort opened in 1997 on the tribal lands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and has been in a constant state of growth since. It also includes a smaller location called Harrah's Cherokee Valley River in Murphy, N.C.
Another in the state, which opened as a 'temporary casino' in 2021, is the Catawba Two Kings Casino. The Catawba Nation has since announced plans to build a permanent Catawba Two Kings Casino resort, slated for an opening in early 2026. This will be just 35 miles west of Charlotte's metro area.
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For those living in the Triangle area looking for a casino gambling experience, closer options than Cherokee include those in Bristol and Danville, Virginia—posing a conundrum for lawmakers who'd like to see revenue flowing into the state rather than out of it.
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