Poker Nixed in North Carolina

As was reported by Poker Source Online almost a year ago, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino in North Carolina has desired to bring actual Las Vegas-style games to its casino, such as blackjack and poker. Negotiations between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which actually owns the casino, and Governor Mike Easley broke down on Tuesday, so it looks like Harrah’s won’t be opening a poker room any time soon.

By “Las Vegas-style” games are casino games played with actual cards. The Cherokee tribe was given authority by federal law to operate a casino. But, the law also stipulates that there must be a deal in place between the state and the tribe regarding which games are allowed. This deal ended up restricting all games to be of the video variety, which means all cards are computer-generated. Harrah’s Cherokee did add blackjack in 2005, but it is played with video monitors, as opposed to physical cards.

Both sides are blaming each other for the situation.

Michell Hicks, Principal Chief of the Eastern Band, said that the tribe was “outraged” by a last minute demand for more money by the Governor. According to Hicks, before the Tribal Council could be shown the agreement, the governor’s office asked for “a direct contribution to the state.” This contribution was supposedly $10 million to go to the mental health needs of North Carolina. While the basis of this idea was originally proposed by the tribe, they balked at the request because paying the state directly is prohibited by federal law. The tribe wanted to take the funds from its tribal foundation, which is used to benefit western North Carolina’s educational and economic development.

Needless to say, the tribe is disappointed. It estimates that the business expansion could have provided $35 million in taxes to the state and bolstered the casino’s payroll by $100 million. Additionally, surrounding businesses would have benefited from the influx of customers.

“We were planning on getting more business,” said Max Henson, general manger of the 152-room Best Western in Cherokee. “It will have an impact on the number of people who are coming here. More games mean more people.”

The quashed agreement did not actually allow for card games at Harrah’s Cherokee. Instead, it included the right to build a second casino and other changes.

Originally published April 21, 2006