Lumbee Land Buy on I-95 Raises Prospect of North Carolina’s Fourth Casino

• Lumbee Tribe acquires land in North Carolina on I-95
• Purchase came as Congress moved to grant long-sought federal recognition
• Chairman says referendum first; plans range from resort to industrial park

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina quietly paid about $6 million for roughly 240 acres of land around the same time Congress was voting to grant the tribe long-sought federal recognition, WUNC News reports, raising the prospect that the state’s fourth casino could be in the offing.

The land is in Robeson County, in southeastern North Carolina, where the tribe’s population is concentrated, and which has long been earmarked as a potential future Lumbee casino location. About two hours east of Charlotte, the parcel offers direct Interstate 95 frontage, positioning it to capture both regional and through-traffic.

If a casino were to be built, it would be the only major gaming venue along that stretch of the I-95 corridor between New Jersey and Florida, a position analysts say could be economically advantageous to the tribe.

Long Road to Recognition

The Lumbee have pursued federal recognition for more than 130 years. Recognition establishes a government-to-government relationship with the United States, granting tribes access to federal programs and legal authorities, including the ability to place land into trust and, under certain conditions, operate casinos.

According to Tribal Chairman John Lowery, the next step is to apply for the land to be placed into trust, a process in which the federal government takes title to land on a tribe’s behalf, formally establishing it as Indian land.

Lowery told WUNC that no decision on a casino would be made without first putting the question to tribal members in a referendum.

“What form of economic development we take early on in this new era, whether gaming is part of our future or not, will be determined by the will of the Lumbee people,” he said.

Full-Scale Resort?

If the Lumbee choose not to pursue gaming, the land would instead be used for a business and industrial park. If they do, Lowery envisions a full-scale resort featuring amenities such as a golf course or a water park.

Existing laws and policies create powerful incentives for corporations to invest in our community,” said Lowery. “Either of these options can lead to thousands of jobs and be an economic boon, not just for our tribal territory, but for this entire region of the state.”

North Carolina currently has three casinos: two operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in the western part of the state and one owned by the Catawba Indian Nation in south-central North Carolina.