777 Casino Dr
Cherokee, NC 28719-9761
Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort is a casino and hotel on the Qualla Boundary in Cherokee, North Carolina. It is owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It is located on the site of the former Frontier Land theme park. It is one of two casinos in North Carolina. A sister property, Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino in Murphy, North Carolina opened on September 28, 2015.Harrah's Cherokee opened in November 1997 with only video poker. This followed the opening of a tribal bingo parlor in the early 1990s, which was quite profitable and led to calls for a casino. The casino came after several years of discord between the State of North Carolina and the Eastern Cherokees. Governor Jim Hunt resisted the casino, but the state was forced to enter into an agreement with tribal authorities by the federal courts. Since then, the tribe has used its casino revenues to build a new high school, a hospital, and public housing, and to upgrade public safety services on the reservation, such as police, fire and EMS. Part of the casino's revenue is also distributed directly to the Cherokee population, in a form of basic income. The casino is also credited with opening the door for gambling in North Carolina, which was the only state in the region not to have a lottery. The casino also heralded a relaxation of alcohol laws in the area, with liquor-by-the-drink being legalized in nearby Bryson City, Sylva, and Cherokee itself.