The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians continues to expand its flagship gaming facility in North Carolina.
The Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort will be growing with the addition of a new parking area. The tribal council voted August 2 to add the 4.7-acre site to the facility, The Smoky Mountain News reported. “We’re already parking people off the property and employees, it’s tough on an employee to have to be there 30 minutes early to catch a bus to get back to work,” said Rich Sneed, the chairman of the tribe's gaming enterprise, the paper reported. The tribe broke ground on a $200 million expansion of the facility on June 26. The project will features 83,000 square-feet of conference space, a 17-story hotel tower with 725 rooms and new retail and dining outlets.“This is an industry that literally generates hundreds of billions of dollars a year, and we have something so unique, here in Cherokee, to offer," Chief Richard Sneed said at the groundbreaking, The Cherokee One Feather reported. "We have our culture. We have our story." Work on the expansion is expected to take 30 months, the paper reported. When complete, the casino will offer nearly 1,900 rooms in four hotel towers. The tribe also operates the Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel on another portion of the reservation. The facility just saw the addition of UltraStar Multi-tainment Center, an entertainment complex. Read More on the Story:With the ground exposed from a months-long archaeological excavation along with Tribal leaders, we officially broke ground this morning on our newest expansion. The $250 million project will add 83,000 square feet of meeting space, over 700 hotel rooms, and much more!! pic.twitter.com/c03caPg9jJ
— Harrah's Cherokee (@HarrahsCherokee) June 26, 2018