BLACKJACK, SLOTS HEADED FOR KINGS MOUNTAIN? GAMBLING MAY BECOME A BIG PLAY FOR CLEVELAND COUNTY AFTER FEDERAL OFFICIALS APPROVED THE CATAWBA NATION'S CASINO BID.

Gambling appears to be headed for Cleveland County after federal officials approved the Catawba Indian Nation's proposal for a casino near Kings Mountain. The York County, S.C.-based tribe, which has only 253 members in North Carolina, started promoting the project about seven years ago on a site adjacent to Interstate 85. Unlike the Palmetto State, North Carolina permits gaming. A study suggests a $273 million casino would create as many as 4,000 jobs, $5 million in annual local tax impact and $208 million in direct spending. Delaware North, a family-owned, Buffalo, N.Y.-based company that operates 13 casinos, is slated to operate the business for the Catawbas.

The Interior Department approval came despite opposition from N.C. politicians including former Gov. Pat McCrory, Gov. Roy Cooper and N.C. Senate President Pro Tern Phil Berger; the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; and Cleveland County churches, which had organized opposition over the years to oust local politicians who favored the casino. Cooper still...