Eastern Cherokees celebrate $650M casino expansion project

Monday, April 8, 2013  

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians celebrated the completion of a $650 million casino expansion project last month.

The Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort now boasts more than 4,000 gaming machines, more than 1,110 hotel rooms, 10 restaurants and an 18,000 square-foot spa. The facility employs more than 2,500 people, over 400 of whom are tribal members.

“It’s the jobs, it’s the benefits, it’s staying at home to be able to work, training skilled people — our enrolled members and neighbors,” Chief Michell Hicks told The Smoky Mountain Press. “But at the end of the day, the benefits of what we’re doing is about protecting ourselves, protecting our sovereignty."

Get the Story:
A growing industry (The Smoky Mountain Press 4/8)

Eastern Cherokees make big impact on economy with casino (03/25)