From Wikipedia
"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 (EBCI) and operated by Caesars Entertainment. It is located on the site of the former Frontier Land theme park.
Proposed in 1994, soon after a compact between the State of North Carolina and the EBCI to establish a casino with Class III gaming, Harrah's Cherokee Casino was opened on November 13, 1997. Owned by the EBCI and managed by Harrah's Entertainment, the casino offered 24-hour video poker and gaming machines that was legal for those 18 years-of-age and older. Occupying a major market niche as the closest gambling outlet for multiple large cities (chiefly Atlanta but also Charlotte and the Research Triangle), the casino was a proven success from day one and has greatly improved living standards on the Qualla Boundary, including a new school, a hospital, public housing, and upgrades to public safety services such as police, fire, and EMS. Also, part of the casino's revenue is distributed directly to all members of the EBCI, in a form of basic income. In 2001, an amendment to the compact was made that raised the legal gambling age from 18 to 21.
In 2002, the first renovation was completed, which included an expansion of 22,025 square feet (2,046.2 m2) of additional gaming space, 31,000 square feet (2,900 m2) of convention space and a 252-room hotel. In 2005, the second renovation was completed, which included an additional 15-story tower with approximately 320 rooms.
In 2009, alcohol sales at the tribe casino was approved by voters, with the first sales starting September; however legal issues with the state delayed sales on the gaming floor until December. In 2020, the EBCI passed the brunch bill, which allowed for alcohol sales to start at 10 a.m., instead of Noon, on Sunday.
On August 21, 2012, Harrah's Cherokee began offering live table games thanks to an amendment of the compact between the state of North Carolina and the EBCI. Harrah's officials related that around 500 new jobs were created thanks to the addition of live table games.
The third renovation, from 2009-2013 at a cost of $650 million, added a 21-story third tower with approximately 532 rooms and five suites, while also nearly doubling the gaming space to more than 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2). A 3,000-seat events center, opened in 2010, provides an area for trade shows, poker tournaments, and concerts. A 16,000 square foot (1,500 m2) full-service spa, open in 2012, and several new shops and restaurants were added, including Ruth's Chris Steak House, Paula Deen's Kitchen and a 600-seat buffet. Designed by Cuningham Group Architecture Inc., with Turner Construction Company as lead general builders of the project. In Summer 2013, Paula Deen's Kitchen was closed, and later rebranded, after Caesars Entertainment Corporation cut ties with Paula Deen due to a controversy regarding Deen's admission of using a racial slur in a social media post."
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