“I just can’t imagine North Carolina allowing nine casinos, but you know, these kinds of things have a life to them, and when you win a couple of preliminary rounds, maybe you could get there.”

John Ager, a Buncombe Democrat who stepped down in 2022 after four terms in the House. “I think that if sports betting passes that there’ll be an effort to go to the next step,” said Rep. Spectrum projected the Asheville casino, if approved, could support 992 slot machines and 34 tables and generate $113 million a year. Asheville Casino Could Generate $113 Million Other forms of gambling North Carolina could adopt include video gaming machines in bars and authorized locations, and online lottery and casino gaming, the report said. Last year, online sports betting was the only gambling proposal to gain serious traction in the General Assembly, passing in the Senate but failing in the House by just three votes. 25, and if it passes, other forms of statewide gambling could follow, legislators told Asheville Watchdog. The sports betting proposal is expected to resurface in the legislative session starting Jan. The new casinos would be in addition to the three already operating on tribal lands, an independent consultant, Spectrum Gaming Group, told lawmakers in a 2020 report that received little attention outside Raleigh. North Carolina can support as many as nine Las Vegas-style casinos with gambling throughout the state, including one in the Asheville area, according to a report commissioned by the General Assembly.

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