The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are set to see some growth in North Carolina. Gov. Roy Cooper has approved a proposed amendment allowing the tribe to offer sports betting, while Chief Richard Sneed is looking to expand.

North Carolina’s General Assembly had previously voted in favor of sports betting, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos, which the tribe owns, couldn’t offer action until their tribal compact had been amended. That process was expected to finish by April, 2020, but Cooper delayed the process by more than 6 months, with Covid being cited as a reason to blame.

“I had a very candid conversation with the governor about that fact that this was only supposed to take 180 days,” Sneed said at a Tribal Council “I don’t think he was very happy with my comments, but that’s just too bad. I feel like we were just kind of strung along with this for a year, and there was really no need for it. But thankfully it’s done.”

That doesn’t mean anyone can get to sports betting this month. Maybe in time for the next NBA season, though. “If I were a real optimist, I would hope maybe by the end of January, maybe in time for the Super Bowl,” said Ann Davis, attorney for the Tribal Gaming Commercial Enterprise. “Don’t hold your breath though, because we’ve got two issues with the Department of the Interior: COVID and administration change.” She was very confident that should March Madness happen in 2021, the tribe would be able to take bets on it.