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Lumbee Tribe NC Casino Plans | Update March 2026
March 12, 2026
In January the Lumbee Tribe purchased 241 acres of farmland along Interstate 95 south of Lumberton in Robeson County as a possible building site for the first North Carolina casino east of Charlotte. The land has direct frontage on Interstate 95 and is near the interchange with Interstate 74.
A casino project will require approval by Lumbee tribal members, but no date for a vote has been announced.
"If and when our people vote for gaming, this 241-acre tract could serve as the site of a casino and resort, accompanied by a shopping outlet and additional amenities such as a golf course, a Top Golf-style facility, a water park, or similar attractions. If our people vote against gaming, the land can be developed into a business and industrial park designed to attract major employers."
- Lumbee Chairman John Lowery
The current major step is transferring all the land owned by the Lumbee Tribe, including the 241 acre Robeson County property, into federal trust. This gives tribal sovereignty to the land over state and local jurisdictions. When the land into trust process is completed, a tribal membership vote will likely be scheduled to determine the economic direction to be taken by the Lumbee Tribe.
There are currently only three casinos operating in North Carolina. The three are owned by Native American tribes. There are no state-licensed commercial casinos. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians owns two casinos: Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee, NC, and Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel in Murphy, NC. The Catawba Indian Nation is building a $1 billion casino resort, named Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort, in Kings Mountain, NC. A temporary casino has been operating on that site since July 2021. The full casino resort will be finished in Spring 2027.
The Lumbee sought federal recognition going back to 1888. During those 137 years, each attempt for recognition status failed. That changed in December 2025 when full federal recognition was granted in a National Defense Authorization Act.
The Lumbee Tribe is also a state-recognized tribe of North Carolina.
The tribe is headquartered in Robeson County. Tribal members live in Robeson County as well as the other surrounding counties in the southeast part of the state.
Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina 6984 NC Hwy 711 West Pembroke, NC 28372 (910) 521-7861 or (855) 801-9738
The Lumbee Tribe has acquired 241 acres of land in Robeson County, NC that may become the future site of a new casino. This follows December's major announcement that the federal government has given full recognition status to the tribe. Federal recognition gives the Lumbee the opportunity to transfer the land into federal trust making it eligible for gaming rights under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
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Lumbee Tribal Chairman John L. Lowery Discusses Land Purchase and Land in Trust Process - Courtesy of Lumbee Tribe, Jan 22, 2026. Available from YouTube
Lumbee Chairman John L. Lowery has not disclosed the exact location of the 241-acre tract. However, The Robesonian newspaper reports the site is on Interstate 95 near exit 10 about 105 miles south of Raleigh.
"If and when our people vote for gaming, this 241-acre tract could serve as the site of a casino and resort, accompanied by a shopping outlet and additional amenities such as a golf course, a Top Golf-style facility, a water park, or similar attractions. If our people vote against gaming, the land can be developed into a business and industrial park designed to attract major employers."
- John L. Lowery, Lumbee Tribal Chairman
The Tribal Business News reported yesterday that the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is preparing a land-into-trust application to submit to the U.S. Department of Interior. This is the first major step towards economic development taken by the tribe since acquiring the 241-acre tract.
North Carolina | Lumbee Tribe Casino is Now Possible
December 19, 2025
After 137 years of struggle, the Lumbee Tribe has finally received federal recognition, which is the esential prerequisite for owning and operating a casino under the U.S. Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).
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Lumbee Tribe awaits federal recognition decision - Courtesy of WLOS News 13, Dec 17, 2025. Available from YouTube
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) created the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) to regulate gambling on Indian reservation lands. Reservations have tribal sovereignty and are excluded from state and local jurisdictions.
Federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe establishes the tribe as a sovereign governing entity. The Lumbee can now apply to the Bureau of Indian Affairs within the Department of Interior to begin a trust process to transfer their lands into a reservation and allow the development of a casino.
The Lumbee Tribe lives on land in southeast North Carolina and xtending through Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland, and Scotland counties.
The tribe can now decide whether or not to pursue federal approval of a casino. There is speculation but no official announcement has yet been made.
NC General Assembly is considering a budget plan that includes a Lumbee casino as one of four new casinos in the state. Each casino would be an entertainment district with hotel, restaurants, meeting space and amusement venues to stimulate the economies in Anson, Nash, Rockingham, and Robeson counties.
The proposal is supported by Rep. Jarrod Lowery, a Robeson County state representative and member of the Lumbee tribe. Lowery says the economies of these four rural counties need the economic opportunity the plan can provide. He added that lawmakers are "very close" to formalizing a budget agreement.
A Lumbee official told the media:
"We're excited about the legislators' attempt to help the Lumbee tribe with a casino because we've filed so many years for (federal) recognition, and we're just anxious to see what the next steps are."
- Ricky Harris, Lumbee Tribal Administrator
The Lumbee tribe is the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River with about 60,000 members. North Carolina formally recognized the tribe in 1885; however, the federal government does not recognize the tribe. Without federal recognition the Lumbee Tribe is not qualified to own an Indian-gaming casino. The North Carolina budget plan would grant a commercial casino license to the tribe.
"We understand that state lawmakers and the governor will have the final say over the state budget," he said. "We look forward to reviewing any economic opportunities that may be provided for the Lumbee Tribe once the budget is approved."
- John Lowery, Lumbee Chairman
If the casino plan is passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, Lumbee tribal members would be required by their constitution to vote on whether to approve a casino on their land.
The 2023 proposal to build a Lumbee Tribe casino in Robeson County was part of a North Carolina legislative effort to add four new casinos to the state. The legislation, which failed to pass, would have authorized a commercial gaming license to the tribe. The proposed Lumbee casino included a hotel, restaurants and an entertainment venue.
Proposal
The Lumbee Tribe casino will be licensed for Class III gaming, where players play against the house on slot machines and table games.
The Lumbee will have exclusive rights to operate Class III gaming in the counties of Bladen, Bruhswick, Columbus, Cumberland, Hoke, Moore, New Hanover, Richmond, Robeson and Scotland.
A gaming compact between the state and the tribe will be negotiated and signed with the governor. The compact will define the allowed number of Class III slot machines and the types of table games. The compact will sent to the U.S. Department of Interior for review and approval.
Under the compact, the Lumbee Tribe will pay a percentage of net gaming revenues to the Indian Gaming Education Revenue Fund.
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