North Carolina Tribe Reportedly Buys New Casino Land In Tennessee

• The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) purchased land land near Smokies Stadium.
• The EBCI land purchase was for $7.656 million.
• There is speculation that the Tribe could use the newly acquired land for sports betting purposes.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) have bought 122 acres of land in Sevierville, Tennessee per reports from Knox News. The EBCI is located in North Carolina and the tribe currently owns one casino in the state by the name of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and one other casino on their 82.6 miles of land. This is called the Qualla Boundary, which is their federal trust land.

The land the EBCI purchased is located near Smokies Stadium in Tennessee, which is a high traffic area for residents and tourists alike.

The EBCI land purchase took place on June 18. There have been no statements released from the EBCI about the specific plans for the newly bought acres of land.

“This property, if purchased, will be utilized for future economic development for the EBCI. The location of the property lends itself to many possibilities for economic diversification for the Eastern Band, and I am excited about this opportunity,” said Principal Chief Richard Sneed in a statement in February.

The land purchase has been rumored to be focused on either another casino or for a sports gambling venture. No credible details on the true nature of the purchase have been released by the buying party, however.

Tennessee is one of the many states that does not allow casino gambling, though mobile sports betting was legalized on July 1.

Both Tennessee and North Carolina are without state-regulated land-based casino gambling, but they do have tribal casino gambling. Tribal casinos In Tennessee and North Carolina operate on tribal compacts that function separately from the state, which gives them free rein to host casino gambling and even sports gambling inside their own facilities.

News tags: Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians | North Carolina | Qualla Boundary | Richard Sneed | Sevierville | Smokies Stadium | Tennessee | tribal gaming