Governor Opposed to North Carolina Casino Project

KINGS MOUNTAIN, N.C. — (Associated Press) - Gov. Pat McCrory says he has strong concerns about a Native American tribe's plans to build a gambling casino on land along a busy North Carolina interstate.

The South Carolina-based Catawba Indian Nation has filed an application with federal officials to buy 16 acres near Kings Mountain for a planned gambling casino the tribe says would create thousands of new jobs. That was the first step in a long process to build a casino just across the border from South Carolina in North Carolina.

Officials in economically strapped Cleveland County support the plan but many North Carolina lawmakers oppose it.

McCrory said Friday he hasn't seen an argument that justifies building the casino.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians already operates a bustling casino in western North Carolina.