RALEIGH — A casino along I-95 is one step closer after the Lumbee Tribe amended its constitution to allow gaming. The full tribe membership will need to approve the measure at a yet-unscheduled future vote.
At its April 16 business meeting, the Lumbee Tribal Council approved a resolution amending the tribe’s constitution to authorize gaming by a vote of 17-2.
“(The) Tribal Council finds it is in the best interest and welfare of the Tribe to authorize gaming activities on Tribal lands,” the resolution states.
Chairman John Lowery issued a statement on Facebook ahead of the resolution vote.
“Tonight, the Lumbee Tribal Council will take a historic step to give you, the citizens of the Lumbee Tribe, the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment that will allow our Tribe to conduct gaming,” Lowery said while encouraging members to attend the meeting.
Lowery was appointed in mid-October 2025 to fill the remainder of his brother Jarrod’s term representing Robeson County in the North Carolina House. Jarrod Lowery resigned effective Oct. 1, 2025, and left the state to take the role of senior adviser to the assistant secretary for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Last December, Lumbee Holdings, the for-profit arm of the tribe, paid $6.8 million for two properties along I-95 in Robeson County. The properties are approximately 240 acres.
A Lumbee casino would be the fourth native gaming facility in the state.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians operates two casinos, including Harrah’s in Cherokee in the western part of the state.
In 2027, the South Carolina-based Catawba Indian Nation will be fully opening Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain west of Charlotte. The Two Kings Casino has been opening in stages since 2021, with an “introductory casino” that opened in March, according to 500Nations.com.
Federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe was among President Donald Trump’s campaign promises during the 2024 election cycle. Trump followed through and issued a memorandum directing the secretary of the Interior to work toward achieving that promise in January.
The Lumbee Tribe had 55,000 enrolled members during 2025-26, however, some estimates put membership at 60,000, making it the largest tribe in North Carolina. Many of the tribe’s members live in Robeson County, with others in Cumberland, Hoke and Scotland counties.
Both the Cherokee and Shawnee tribes opposed Lumbee federal recognition during a Nov. 5, 2025, U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing.
The Lumbee Tribe received federal recognition following a historic vote by the U.S. Senate on Dec. 17, 2025. To operate gaming and similar activities, North Carolina state law requires a tribe to be federally recognized.
Lowery has said the tribe is expected to receive $70 million to $80 million a year from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Services because of its recognition. The casino is estimated to create 3,000 jobs.
