Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Breaks Ground on New Casino

MURPHY, N.C., Oct. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A $110 million project to build a new casino in Cherokee County, NC is officially underway. A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Harrah's Casino was held today at the future site of the facility just outside the town of Murphy. The casino will be owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and will be managed by Caesars Entertainment Corporation.

The EBCI already owns Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort, which is located in the town of Cherokee, about an hour away from the new casino site.  The Cherokee County facility will feature 60,000 square feet of gaming space with slots and traditional table games; a 300-room full service hotel; and a variety of dining options.

The casino will be located approximately two hours away from Knoxville, Chattanooga and downtown Atlanta and will serve the large and growing adult population living within that radius. In 2011, 7.4 million people age 21 or older lived within 2.5 hours of the casino site. Now, more than 7.6 million people adults live in that same area.

"Our winning partnership with Caesars Entertainment gives us a proven track record in the gaming industry," said Principal Chief Michell Hicks. "This is an ambitious project, but we are confident that it will be a success – for our customers, our tribe and for the surrounding community."

The games featured will include traditional favorites as well as the most popular slot products available on the market when the casino opens. 

"The Cherokee County casino will certainly bear the high standards of the Caesar's name and brand," said Gary Loveman, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Caesars Entertainment Corporation. "We are an industry leader, and we implement the full expectations of that status into every facility we manage. Hopefully, that will translate into continued success for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the residents and other businesses of Cherokee County."

The casino will create an estimated 900 jobs on-site and inject up to $39 million in wages into the surrounding area.

Photos of the groundbreaking are provided courtesy of the Cherokee One Feather and are available at Twitter: https://twitter.com/GWYOneFeather or
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cherokee-One-Feather/455823221122607.

About the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation is located in western North Carolina. It currently owns the Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort, which is located in Cherokee, NC. The Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is a five-member board that oversees the tribe's current casino operations and will oversee the operation of the Cherokee County casino as well.

About Caesars Entertainment Corporation

Caesars Entertainment is the world's most diversified casino-entertainment company. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, more than 75 years ago, Caesars has grown through development of new resorts, expansions, and acquisitions, and now operates casinos on four continents. The company's resorts operate primarily under the Caesars®, Harrah's®, and Horseshoe® brand names. Caesars also owns the World Series of Poker® and the London Clubs International family of casinos. Caesars Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its guests through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence, and technology leadership. Caesars Entertainment is committed to environmental sustainability and energy conservation and recognizes the importance of being a responsible steward of the environment.

SOURCE Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians