"The Harrah's casino that began here as a glorified slots shack is today a full-service, year-round attraction where change is ongoing, especially these days. A five-year, $633 million expansion is nearing completion, with new projects opening every several months.

Haven't been there in six months? Despite the familiar sounds - the ping and whir of electronic gaming machines, the bustle of construction - it's a different and bigger game.

The casino, which opened in 1997 as a one-story affair on the banks of Soco Creek, is today the major player in area tourism - an ever-expanding enterprise with three high-rise hotel towers and about 41/2 acres of gaming rooms. While other destinations across the Southeast froze or withered during the recession, the casino complex continued to expand and renovate; its current push is slated to wrap up next year.

Luck has little to do with it. Harrah's, the gambling chain that runs the operation for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, always plays by the numbers."

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