RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Sports and horse wagering may soon be available for visitors to the two Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian casinos in western North Carolina.
The Senate voted 43-7 on Tuesday for a measure that would allow the tribe to offer betting on sporting events and off-track racing. The measure now goes to the House.
The sports-book option took shape after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal law that made most sports gambling illegal. State law already lets the Eastern Band offer live poker, slot machines and video-style games.
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Eastern Band Principal Chief Richard Sneed said in an interview the options would provide new amenities to patrons but downplayed them as big money-makers for the casinos. The state also would see a slight uptick in its share of revenues.
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