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With casino’s big profits, why not share with state?
While we certainly agree that the casino in Cherokee has become a huge player in Western North Carolina’s economy, we don’t buy the logic that the tribe owes the state nothing in return.
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel has been in the news quite a bit recently. The tribe’s gaming enterprise is enormously lucrative, and those in charge – like most successful business leaders – are constantly on the lookout for ways to make even more money.
First was the proposal to sell alcoholic beverages at the casino in order to attract the customers who enjoy a drink while gambling. Then came news that live dealers for blackjack and other popular games might be imminent. This week we learn that Harrah’s plans a third hotel tower, another parking deck and a spa.
Another revelation this week comes form Vice Chief Larry Blythe, who says Gov. Mike Easley has given a thumbs down to the live dealer plan. Blythe also said Cherokee should not offer the state any cut of the gambling earnings to secure the governor’s nod.
Easley has indicated that he might look more favorably on Cherokee’s request to add live dealers if the tribe would share a little of the wealth with a state government that finds itself constantly strapped for cash. Blythe rejects that notion, saying that the casino was built without state money and therefore the state should allow unlimited expansion without expecting anything in return.
But as Jackson County taxpayers, we think Easley has a point. It’s true that the casino enterprise provides jobs – hundreds of jobs – most of those who work there do not live on the reservation. It is the surrounding counties that educate the workers’ children and provide recreational opportunities. Granted, those employees pay state and county taxes; however, the employers of non-casino employees also pay state and local taxes, a fact that reduces the burden of individual taxpayers.
We’re delighted with the casino’s success and the prosperity it’s brought to Cherokee. We also think its time for the tribe to recognize that state-maintained roads bring the customers and state-funded schools educate its next generation of workers.
If the casino really wants the increased revenue live dealers could bring, maybe it’s time to ante up and call Easley’s bluff. The potential for increased income once live dealers are in place is staggering and would more than make up for any small financial concession given to the state.
What have they got to lose?
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