‘Pre-launch’ casino facility with 500 slot machines to open in Kings Mountain, N.C. on July 1

CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - The Catawba Nation and government leaders are set to celebrate the opening of the Catawba Two Kings Casino 500-slot pre-launch facility on Thursday morning with remarks and a ceremonial ribbon-cutting.

The pre-launch facility, which was constructed using prefabricated modular structures, will provide an initial opportunity for patrons to game with limited food & beverage and other guest amenities.

The temporary casino which will employ 250 people to start, is nearing completion and is scheduled to open to the public at noon Thursday, July 1.

This comes after the federal government approved a revenue-sharing agreement between the Catawba Indian Nation and the state of North Carolina. The Bureau of Indian Affairs signed off on the compact in March.

In April, theU.S. District Court of the District of Columbia ruled that the U.S. Department of the Interior acted properly in taking land into trust for the Catawba Nation.

“With the completion of our compact with the State of North Carolina, the Catawba Nation is eager to open the casino as quickly as possible to begin bringing economic benefits and jobs to the state and region,” Catawba Chief Bill Harris said. “We’re working with Delaware North, our consultant on the Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort project, as well as our developer, Skyboat Gaming, to make that happen by opening what we are calling a ‘pre-launch’ facility this summer.”

Construction is scheduled to begin by the end of 2021 on an introductory phase of the $273 million full casino resort.

It will be part of the permanent casino and feature an additional 1,300 slot machines, restaurants and other amenities. Its construction is expected to take about a year.

The 17-acre casino site off Dixon School Road in Kings Mountain, Cleveland County, is near Interstate 85 and about 35 miles west of Charlotte.

The total $273 million casino resort project is expected to create 2,600 permanent jobs at full buildout and thousands of construction jobs in the region.

In July 2020, leaders of the tribe broke ground on land in Kings Mountain to build the new casino resort.

Local leaders, attorneys and Catawba Nation Chief William Harris all say the casino is happening - and it’s happening fast. They say the space, on Dixon School Road just off I-85, should become that resort as early as spring or summer of next year.

“I don’t know any word that will actually describe what it means to have a righting of a historical wrong,” Harris said. “If we have an opportunity to right a wrong, step toward it not away from it. And that’s what happened here.”

The new casino will cost nearly $300 million and is expected to house restaurants, table games and 1,300 slots.

Catawba Nation worked years for the day.

The groundbreaking came after the tribe won federal approval for the land, and faced a lawsuit against the project by The Eastern Band of Cherokees who operate their own casinos in western North Carolina.

“Indigenous people have had a hard road of hope for many many years,” Harris said. “So if we can come together, then there’s a phrase out there: this is ‘strength in unity.' So instead of doing inner fighting, let’s unite and make something better.”