Around the Two Kings Casino Resort project in Kings Mountain, reports circulated about the possible construction of a thoroughbred horse racing track. The trigger was discussions in the comments on the Catawba tribe’s social media posts, where prospects for developing the area next to the future resort were mentioned.
The Catawba tribe officially denied these talks and stated that it does not plan to invest in a racetrack or any projects related to horse racing. Editor’s note: Casino.org apologized for the error in the original version of the report.
Phase 1 of Two Kings and moving away from the temporary setup
The permanent Two Kings Casino Resort has not yet opened; however, the first phase of construction has already been described as an initial one, that is, designed to bring basic infrastructure online before the entire resort is completed. This starter facility should become a permanent alternative to the temporary site and, at the same time, a testing ground for operational processes.
The key parameters of Phase 1 are presented as a compact set of services and gaming options:
- a casino of 80,000 square feet
- 1,350 slot machines
- 22 tables with live dealers
- sports betting kiosks
- a restaurant and bar
- a loyalty program desk
- surface parking for 800 vehicles
A separate line in the project is the replacement of temporary infrastructure. Since July 2021, Two Kings Casino operated in modular trailers, which made it possible to welcome guests until the permanent building was ready while also maintaining interest in the location.
That is why Phase 1 of the permanent complex is seen as a transitional bridge between the temporary solution and a full-scale resort. In public discussions, this is often perceived as a signal of readiness to expand the project further, which became fertile ground for rumors about features not aligned with the project’s concept, including a racetrack.
Timeline, geography, and the resort’s final look
The tribe plans to complete the entire resort direction by 2028. The site is located in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, about 35 miles west of Charlotte, near Interstate 85 at Exit 5.
The location is important not only in terms of traffic, but also in terms of regional competition for tourist demand. For such projects, the highway often serves as a storefront, and an interchange on a major thoroughfare sets the pace of visitor flow without being tied to a single city.
In its final configuration, Two Kings Casino Resort is described as a major resort hub, where the main focus is on the gaming floor, the hotel, and related services:
- gaming area, a casino with 4,300 slot machines, 100 tables, a sportsbook area
- accommodations, a 24-story hotel with 385 rooms
- food and beverage, 11 restaurants and bars
- infrastructure, an underground parking garage for 2,700 vehicles
While the property is not yet fully operational, part of public expectations is formed in fragments, through individual figures and visualizations. This makes the public picture prone to speculation, especially when discussions take place in comments without links to project documents.
Where the $120 million estimate came from and why it did not work
The $120 million figure emerged in unofficial channels. In discussions on the tribe’s social media pages, commenters mentioned a hypothetical thoroughbred racetrack that supposedly could appear next to the resort and cited a cost benchmark.
Further verification showed that this was not part of the confirmed roadmap. The tribe’s position was stated plainly: the Catawba do not plan to build a racetrack and do not consider such investments, and the development of Two Kings is proceeding according to the stated gaming and hotel concept.
Horse wagering in North Carolina and the role of tribal rights
The legal backdrop in North Carolina looks ambiguous. On the one hand, in 2023 the state legalized pari-mutuel wagering as part of a package with sports betting. On the other hand, after the launch of sports betting, the pari-mutuel segment, for both live racing and simulcast, remains on hold.
The key reasons discussed in the industry and in the political sphere boil down to three main issues:
- a high barrier to entry for operators, a $1 million license
- a 1% tax on all wagers
- a ban on using slot-like historical horse racing (HHR) as a permitted form of pari-mutuel wagering
The last point is directly related to the ban on online casinos in North Carolina. Tribes also actively oppose the legalization of virtual gambling venues, which they consider a threat to their monopoly. This is a reasonable concern, since online casinos can offer players much of what is unavailable at brick-and-mortar casinos.
Virtual platforms have a broader and more diverse loyalty program, and they give players privacy. But most importantly, it is the games themselves. In addition to the classics that can also be found in regular halls, online casinos offer guests exclusive entertainment—Plinko, traditional card games, and wheel-of-fortune-style live shows such as Crazy Time, Funky Time. The authors of a site reviewing the funky time casino game emphasize that the show format is one of the newest trends. It literally immerses the viewer in the action.
This list of advantages makes it significantly harder for land-based venues to compete with online casinos. However, in North Carolina such entertainment is under a strict ban. As with betting, this simplifies the operations of tribal casinos.
At the same time, there is cautious optimism in the North Carolina General Assembly that revising the rules could make the market more attractive to operators, primarily for advance deposit wagering, that is, remote deposit wagering services.
Against this backdrop, the theoretical possibility is sometimes mentioned for the Catawba tribe to rely on the federal regulatory framework. The National Indian Gaming Commission classifies pari-mutuel wagering as Class III gaming, in the same category as slot machines and Las Vegas-style table games. The Catawba’s compact with the state allows Class III gaming on sovereign land, including slots, table games, and sports betting; however, that does not, by itself, mean a decision to enter horse wagering.
The regional picture also limits the ecosystem’s potential. Pari-mutuel wagering remains prohibited in Georgia and South Carolina, which shrinks the surrounding regional market around North Carolina and reduces the number of natural partnerships for the horse industry.
At present, the Catawba tribe has not announced plans to enter horse racing. Similarly, another tribal entity with Class III gaming in the state, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has also not reported intentions to develop a racetrack or launch related wagering.