Eastern Cherokees prepare for opening of new gaming facility

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Table games are being installed at the new Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel in North Carolina. Photo from Facebook

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The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina is opening its second gaming facility next week but some tribal leaders aren't entirely happy with the process.

The Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel debuts September 28. But a new management agreement between the tribe and Caesars Entertainment Corporation has yet to be approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission.

The reasons for the holdup weren't reported by The Cherokee One Feather, the tribe's newspaper. So Chief Michell Hicks presented a temporary solution that he said will allow the facility to open under the terms of the existing agreement.

“The tribe can move ahead,” Hicks said at a council meeting on September 22, The One Feather reported. “We can open on September 28.”

Tribal leaders approved two amendments to the existing agreement at the meeting but not without some grumbling.

The food court taking shape at the new Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel in North Carolina. Photo from Facebook

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"I don’t the idea of doing stop-gap measures because it makes us look like we don’t know what we’re doing," said Terri Henry, who serves as the chair of the council, The One Feather reported.

The tribe spent $110 million to build the new casino. The 125,000 square-foot facility features a 50,000 square-foot gaming floor and a seven-story hotel with 301 rooms.

According to casino executives, $26 million of construction costs were spent locally.

"Everything from steel to food service is included in the total, so many businesses benefited," general manager Lumpy Lambert said in a press release on Monday. "This amount doesn't include the additional monies paid by sub-contractors for housing and food during the project, but it's a sizable amount. I'm very pleased we could keep so much in western North Carolina."

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

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