Tribal casinos thrive in North Carolina
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribe continues to grow on gaming as it set a record on distribution per capita thanks to its two casinos.
US.- Native American tribes play a major role in US gambling and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is proof of their importance. The tribe revealed it broke a record on its last per capita distribution, mainly thanks to the performance of the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel in Murphy.
“The fiscal year ending September 30, exceeded our original projections with regards to tribal distribution,” Harrah’s Cherokee regional vice president of marketing Brian Saunooke said. “We expected a fairly flat year compared to 2017, but instead saw distribution to the Tribe grow by 7.8% compared to 2017. We expect next year’s distribution to be flat with 2018’s.”
According to Mr. Saunooke, distribution at the tribal property accounted for 76% of the total distribution and grew 4.7% in comparison to 2017. The Valley River Casino and Hotel provided the remaining 24% after growing nearly 19%.
The tribe also highlighted its contribution to the economic development of the areas in which it operates, as it revealed it payed over US$180 million to its 3,500 employees and a further US$38 million in contracts to the area vendors.
