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When Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel opened in September 2015, not everyone in Cherokee County was excited about it. Some people were wary about so many jobs being based on a service economy. Others didn’t like that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians doesn’t collect sales taxes nor pay property taxes on trust land. Still more just don’t even like the thought of gambling.
Fast forward 6½ years later, and those kinds of complaints are fewer and far between. That’s because the tribe has lived up to its promises with the casino that sits atop a hill overlooking Murphy.
The tribe promised more than 900 people would be able to find work at the casino. General Manager Lumpy Lambert spoke before the Rotary Club of Murphy on Monday, and he confirmed that the job count today is 968 – and growing.
The tribe promised that our area would receive the biggest benefit from the casino. Lambert shared that 65 percent of all Valley River associates live in Cherokee County. The casino’s $28 million annual payroll, plus another $17 million in benefits for associates, also helps the local economy and health care.
The tribe promised the casino would give back to the community. Lambert said associates with the HERO program at Valley River alone have contributed about 12,000 hours of volunteer service to area nonprofit agencies and also clean up litter around their property as well as on the four-lane highway.
“I don’t know why, but we picked up a lot of masks when there was a mandate,” Lambert said with a smile.
The tribe also promised that the original $110 million facility would not be the end, but only the beginning. In 2018, the 41,000-square-foot Multitainment Center featuring bowling, arcade games and a full-service restaurant opened.
Even better, in November the tribal council approved a $275 million expansion of the Valley River casino, which is expected to include a new 300-room hotel featuring a rooftop restaurant designed by Gordon Ramsey, a 30,000-square-foot expansion of the gaming floor, an 8,000-square-foot spa, a bigger sports book and a multipurpose room that could feature bingo games.
The expansion also means another 100-200 people will work at the casino, which Lambert said still has 100 acres remaining to develop in the future.
Perhaps best of all is how the tribe has treated its associates during the COVID-19 era. Besides adopting appropriate safety standards, even when the doors were locked their associates got paid. That’s one reason why some people have become very loyal to the casino.
Some people still may not like gambling, but the casino has proved to be a recession-proof business that keeps people working even during a pandemic. And you have to appreciate it when someone lives up to their promises.
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. You can reach him by phone, 837-5122; email, dbrown@cherokeescout.com; or on Twitter @daviddBstroh.