Eastern Cherokee casino is largest employer in region of state

Tuesday, November 20, 2012  

Thanks to its casino, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is the largest employer in western North Carolina, WSAV-TV reports.

Harrah's Cherokee Casino employs 2,300 people. Some 700 jobs were added when the tribe signed a Class III gaming compact for live card dealers.

"If you want a job in Cherokee, you basically just have to ask," Leann Bridges, the vice president of marketing at the casino, told WSAV.

Since gaming arrived on the reservation, unemployment has dropped from 17 percent to 9 percent, one of the lowest rates in the state. Salaries from the casino pump $72 million into the economy a year.

Get the Story:
Worth the Gamble? (WSAV-TV 11/19)
Worth the Gamble? Part 2 (WSAV-TV 11/19)