Steve Harrison
/ WFAE
The town of Cherokee in western North Carolina has about 2,000 people. There are a few strips malls, a museum dedicated to the history of the tribe.
And there’s a casino. It’s a really big casino that’s getting bigger.
The casino is owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and managed by Harrah’s. It towers 21 stories above the town, and there’s more coming. There are 700 new rooms under construction along with 83,000-square feet of convention space.
The tribe is spending $330 million on the expansion, says tribal chief Richard Sneed.
“It’s a big number,” he said laughing. “It’s a big number.”