“We believe there will be a sizable ripple effect in the community, just like the one here (in Cherokee),” he said. “We anticipate the same kind of economic impact here,” Lambert said, noting that the casino and hotel would employ between 800 and 900 people with an estimated payroll of between $32 million and $39 million. The study also estimated that it contributed eight percent of all wage and salary disbursements in Jackson and Swain counties, with the total estimated employee compensation impact for the two counties to be $74.8 million.

The report stated that, in 2009, the casino was responsible for 5 percent of all employment (1,647 employees – including 80 percent who were not enrolled EBCI members). A June 2011 study by the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill estimated that Harrah’s Cherokee Casino contributed $300 million annually to Jackson and Swain counties. The new casino is expected to be a primary economic driver in the far western counties of North Carolina, just as Harrah’s Cherokee is said to have been in Swain and Jackson counties. The Valley River Casino plans to open with live dealers, a feat that took its sister casino, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino - located in the town of Cherokee in Jackson County near the Swain County line - 15 years to accomplish. “We are in the process of fine tuning the layout,” he said. Lambert said the new casino would have about 108,000 square feet of floor space, which would include between 1,100 and 1,200 slot machines and between 50 and 75 table games. The accompanying 300-room hotel is scheduled to open shortly after the casino. According to Lambert, the new casino is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2015.

“Things are well underway and going well,” he said recently about construction at the site, which is located near the town of Murphy. Cherokee Valley River Casino, a second partnership between the Tribe and Caesars Entertainment, is slated to open in Cherokee County about a year from now, said Lumpy Lambert, general manager.

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