Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino Breaks Ground on Expansion Project

By Jane Shaw Senior Editor Updated: 01/06/2024

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Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino

On September 29th, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $275 million expansion project at the Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel in Murphy, North Carolina. The expansion will include adding 25,000 square feet of gaming space, a new hotel tower, and additional amenities.

New Gaming Options and Hotel Rooms

According to Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River General Manager Lumpy Lambert, the expanded casino will feature 400 additional slot machines, a brand-new casino bar, as many as 12 new casino table games, and a special poker room with ten tables, which will be WSOP certified. The project will also construct a new hotel tower adding 296 guest rooms, bringing the property’s total room count to nearly 600.

Other new amenities will include an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, spa, 1,700-space parking garage, and more. Lambert said they saw the:

Necessity of an expansion when we opened eight years ago. We are certainly looking forward to the opportunity to grow and expand our market. The expansion can assist in not only the continued development of Tribal programs but Tribal distribution for enrolled members and job opportunities.

The EBCI is working with artists to incorporate Cherokee cultural symbols and designs throughout the new facilities. According to Lambert, a key goal is using the added revenue from the expanded resort to support EBCI programs and provide funds directly to enrolled tribal citizens. Officials estimate the project will create about 100 new permanent jobs after opening in 2024 – something that’s been well-received by the local community.

The new gaming space is scheduled to open in mid-2024, while the parking garage will follow in summer 2024. The hotel tower has a targeted late 2024 opening date, and, according to the company, the project is currently on track – although it remains to be seen as to whether they’ll meet their expected launch dates or not.

While some disagree with the expansion, there are many others who recognize the economic benefits the new venue will bring to the area. The venue will create many jobs, both in the construction phase and once the expanded venue is open, plus it will draw many people to the local area, who will likely visit other venues, including local stores and attractions.

Changing Landscape of North Carolina Gambling

This expansion comes after legislative efforts to legalize commercial casinos in the state failed, meaning Las Vegas style casinos won’t be coming to North Carolina. The effort failed mainly due to the influence of the state’s tribes, which have a virtual monopoly over gambling in the state through their Class III gaming compacts with the state.

But there has been some loosening of the tribal monopoly, with sports betting recently being legalized in North Carolina. While tribes can offer betting on their properties, they will undoubtedly be impacted by mobile sports betting. This move to mobile betting has been seen in most other states with legal sports betting, with mobile operators taking a huge share of the market.