Openings & Closings

Eastern Cherokees welcome big crowd for debut of $110M casino

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

An employee of the Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel in North Carolina prepares for the opening of the facility on September 28, 2015. Photo from Facebook

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina opened the doors to its second gaming facility on Monday.

The debut of the $110 million Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel caused traffic jams in the town of Murphy, according to news reports. Some excited patrons waited hours in line for a chance to be the first to explore the facility.

"This means more resources for the tribe so we can continue to expand our services for our people," Chief Michell Hicks said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, The Cherokee One Feather reported.

The 125,000 square-foot facility features a 50,000 square-foot gaming floor and a seven-story hotel with 301 rooms. It employs about 1,000 people.

The tribe also owns the Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort, a much larger facility, about an hour away.

Get the Story:
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River opens doors (The Cherokee One Feather 9/28)
New Casino in Cherokee County, NC Opens (News Channel 9 9/28)
Harrah's Casino & Hotel Opens in Murphy, N.C. (WDEF 9/28)
New Harrah's casino, hotel opens in Cherokee, NC Monday (FOX Carolina 9/28)
New Cherokee Casino Grand Opening (WLOS 9/28)