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Each of the 12,500 enrolled members of the tribe also benefits from the casino without setting foot inside the 175,000-square-foot facility. Fifty percent of the casino's revenue is distributed to tribal members who receive a semi-annual per capita check.
"We get our next check, expected to be $3,435, the first week in December, and I plan to use mine as a down payment on a vehicle," said enrolled member Marina Robbins.
"The entire region benefits," said former tribal Chief Joyce Dugan, who now directs external relations and career development for the casino. "The money doesn't stay on the reservation because our people spend the money in the surrounding counties."
Casino dollars spent for goods and services in the region totaled more than $15 million last year, according to reports released by Harrah's management.
On the reservation itself, Jones said he can "see and feel the pride instilled in our community. When I drive around the Qualla Boundary, I see the improvements in housing, the great landscaping around our homes, and even the driveways themselves reflect the prosperity with which we are blessed."
Tribal leaders recently agreed to pave every driveway on the reservation. Casino revenues have also been used to upgrade water and sewer services and improve Cherokee's school system.
Gambling dollars have paid for a diabetes clinic, an urgent care clinic, a wellness center, a youth center, the John Crowe Recreation Park, a visitor center, the Snowbird Community Center, a nursery, the Painttown Fire Substation and land purchases.
A percentage of the casino profits go into a higher education fund, which provides college scholarships for tribal members, while profits also benefit charitable causes within Western North Carolina.
This year, through the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, 53 public service agencies, community groups and educational institutions were awarded a total of $2.1 million in grants.
Political clout
With money in hand, the Eastern Band has learned to play another game - politics.
According to campaign finance reports released in October, the Eastern Band contributed $120,000 to N.C. General Assembly candidates this election year. This summer the state Board of Elections gave Cherokees the right to donate to state candidates.
Year-round tourism
In the past five years, the casino has developed into the states's largest tourist destination, attracting some 3.3 million visitors each year.
And they are coming year-round. Even though it's the end of November, when traditionally traffic slows down and most businesses close, visitors will notice no slow down at the casino.
Plus, there is no slow down in construction around the casino. Even though it is only on paper right now, construction is expected on a second hotel tower adjacent to the existing 15-story, $63 million hotel opened this year.
Casino employees, construction workers, hotel/motel employees, restaurant workers and others on the reservation are experiencing year-round employment.
Opposition
Not everybody is happy with the casino's existence. Some enrolled members refuse to accept their per capita checks, citing religious opposition to gambling.
Some groups, like the Tuckaseigee Baptist Association in a unanimous resolution, have also voiced their opposition to gambling.
Others in opposition cite the traffic problems created by the influx of the 3.3 million annual visitors. Several residents of Soco Road say highway widening and construction during the day causes them to wait until evening to venture out.
Problems
Compulsive gambling is a problem all casinos recognize, and Harrah's maintains a pro-active program for responsible gambling.
Additionally, a local chapter of Gamblers Anonymous meets weekly to help compulsive gamblers who want to quit.
According to national statistics, 1 percent of gamblers have no control over their addiction. Another 2 to 3 percent are considered problem gamblers.
But problem gamblers, those who gamble more than they should, are not limited to casinos. Problem gamblers can be found in office sports pools or crossing state lines to purchase lottery tickets.
Some things that didn't happen
Back in 1997, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners held a department head meeting to discuss the impacts the new casino might have on the county.
One of those department heads - Bob Cochran, director of Social Services, predicted a ripple effect of an increase in child protection services and foster care.
"None of those dire predictions have come to fruition," Cochran said Monday. "We have not seen a lot of negatives related to the casino. Our numbers of child abuse cases are up, but those numbers are up across the board and not in any way due to the casino."
Cochran noted that in DSS fund-raising efforts, "Harrah's is a good community player."
The infiltration of organized crime and increases in other types of crime were also cited as following close behind casino activity.
"Since the casino, our crime rate has gone down," said Chief Jones. "That's because we've been able to afford advanced training for our officers and to expand our police force."
How it all began
The economic trend for the Eastern Band began to change in August 1994, when former Gov. Jim Hunt signed a seven-year compact with former Chief Jonathan Ed Taylor allowing gambling on the reservation.
Hunt, who had long voiced his opposition to gambling, sealed the deal only after "understanding the economic difficulties facing the Cherokee Reservation and the region."
"The area has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, and Chief Taylor has told me about reduced tourist traffic and dollars and the grim economic outlook facing his people," Hunt told The Herald in 1994.
Looking to the future
Hunt was looking ahead to the future, said Jones, who said that is the key even today.
"It has been my goal to make every enrolled member look to the future, seven generations from now, and decide today what legacy we want to leave our families," the chief said. "I want to see a nation of Cherokee proud of their heritage, financially stable from both gaming income, as well as family-based tourism, and well educated to competitively work in that world of the future."
Jones said he is in favor of expanding the gaming program, even into "a full-fledged casino. I think that is the next level," Jones told The Herald. "But that's something that has to be negotiated in the future."
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Five years after the grand opening ceremony in 1997, Harrah's Cherokee Casino is not only North Carolina's largest tourist attraction, but it and the revenue it generates annually continue to be credited for the economic turnaround on the Cherokee Indian Reservation. A diabetes clinic, an urgent care clinic, a wellness center, a youth center, the John Crowe Recreation Park, a visitor center, the Snowbird Community Center, a nursery, the Painttown Fire Substation and land purchases are all among the benefits realized from gambling dollars. - Herald file photos