Eastern Cherokees voting on alcohol sales at casino

Thursday, June 4, 2009  

Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are voting today on a casino alcohol referendum.

A majority of at least 30 percent of the tribe's 6,489 voters must approve the measure for it to pass, The Asheville Citizen-Times reported. The last time the issue came up for a vote in 1980, it was rejected by a 2-1 margin.

Supporters say alcohol sales will increase revenues at the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino by as much as $70 million a year. Business has dropped amid the national recession.

Opponents worry about the social impacts of alcohol.

Get the Story:
Tribe to vote on selling alcohol at Harrah's Cherokee Casino (The Asheville Citizen-Times 6/4)