Lumbee Tribe Advances Gaming Ordinance After No Vote
The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is pressing ahead with a draft gaming ordinance, three months after tribal members rejected a constitutional amendment that would make it an authorized casino operator on tribal land.
On June 23, 2026, Lumbee members voted 62.6% against a constitutional amendment to authorise and regulate gaming, with 5,775 votes against and 3,490 in favour, according to the tribe’s own count reported by the Robesonian, the newspaper of record in Robeson County.
Two days later, Tribal Council voted 17-1 in an emergency meeting to direct the tribe’s attorney, general counsel Joshua Malcolm, to explore what legal pathways for gaming might still exist, even as then-chairman John Lowery said he would not personally pursue the issue further.
Committee Advances A 19-Page Draft
On September 1, 2026, the Tribal Council’s Constitution & Ordinance Committee voted 13-1 to advance a 19-page draft gaming ordinance out of committee, the Robesonian reported.
The draft sets out a gaming commission of three voting members nominated by the tribal chairperson and confirmed by council, plus two nonvoting advisory commissioners, alongside licensing, background-check and licence suspension and revocation procedures. "It’s not a final version, it’s only a draft," committee chair Councilman Rudy Locklear said.
Public Hearings Run Through Late September
The tribe has scheduled four public hearings, one in each county of tribal territory: Scotland County on September 12, Hoke County on September 22, Cumberland County on September 24 and Robeson County on September 28.
Enrolled citizens can also submit written comments of up to 4,000 characters through the Lumbee Member Portal until September 29 at 8 a.m. ET, the tribe confirmed this week. The full Tribal Council will consider public feedback before voting on the ordinance itself.
The Lumbee Tribe, North Carolina’s largest, gained full federal recognition only in the past year and does not yet operate a casino.
Its push for a tribal gaming framework would put it alongside other federally recognised tribes exploring gaming opportunities under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. More on the process is available in Gambling.com’s US news coverage.
Refer to Cashback Terms & Conditions for full program terms.
