Thirty-five years ago, our people made a courageous choice to dare a new path.

What began as a humble bingo hall in Roland in 1990 has grown into a thriving gaming and hospitality enterprise — Cherokee Nation Entertainment — that today embodies opportunity and drives revenue for Cherokees families across our reservation and the world. The decision to invest in ourselves was rooted in hope, self-determination, and the belief that true prosperity for the Cherokee Nation must come from within.

The leadership of the Cherokee Nation, spearheaded by then-Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller, resolved to lift up the Cherokee people economically through jobs and community-focused revenue generation. Today, CNE remains an engine of growth for so many rural communities across northeast Oklahoma. What we have achieved is testament to the enduring power of vision and collective strength. As Principal Chief 35 years later, I reflect on this milestone — not as a destination — but as an ongoing promise of prosperity for our tribal Nation and its citizens.

That first Cherokee Nation Bingo Outpost in Roland — which employed just 64 people — has given way to something far greater. From additional bingo halls in Catoosa and West Siloam Springs in the early ’90s to a full transition to Class III gaming in 2004, we laid the foundation for what has become a diversified entertainment and hospitality business.

Currently, CNE operates 11 casinos, including full-service resort hotels with more than 1,800 guest rooms, restaurants and entertainment venues, a horse racing track, and a golf course. It is one of the largest gaming and hospitality enterprises in Oklahoma, generating more than $1 billion annually and employing over 4,000 people.

CNE’s economic impact extends well beyond our borders, attracting visitors to our communities and churning revenue in local economies where our people and their families call home.

But the true measure of success lies not strictly in revenue or square footage — it lies in what this growth has meant for Cherokees. For thousands of citizens, gaming and hospitality have offered stable and meaningful employment. These are jobs that pay bills, allow parents to support their children and send grandchildren to college. They provide opportunities and enable bright futures.

For communities, the benefits have rippled positively, as investments in roads and bridges, clean-water systems, health centers, and community infrastructure have lifted the quality of life for all. Through gaming success, we have helped to revitalize rural towns and created shared prosperity. It’s an inherited value among our people to help our neighbors, and we are proud to be a steadfast community partner.

Gaming was never intended to be the final chapter; it was always meant to be the catalyst for a diversified economic future. As the leadership of CNE and Cherokee Nation Businesses have often emphasized, success in gaming opened the doors to broader opportunities and businesses that ensure stable cash flow that supports critical Cherokee Nation efforts in education, housing and health care. The tribe’s gaming and hospitality business has contributed $1 billion in dividend back to government services since inception all those years ago.

Though gaming is just one part of the CNB business portfolio today, we must always appreciate how it all got started and grew. On this anniversary, we honor the bold visionaries who dared to dream and the early staff who believed in that promise. We remember where we started, because this is more than simply a business.

Our casinos have become centerpieces of communities and represent a vital pillar in our Nation and our future. The buildings and the many thousands of Cherokees working inside and around them are reminders of what can be achieved when sovereignty and unity come together.

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