The existing facility, which includes 1,100 hotel rooms and a 16,000-square-foot event center - in addition to the extensive gaming-related offerings, restaurants and retail - isn’t big enough to meet the constantly growing demand, according to Leeann Bridges, Harrah’s regional vice president for marketing. “The convention center and hotel is just a first step in completing our vision of making Cherokee a great place to visit, benefiting not only our casino but our tribal businesses as well.” “I’m extremely pleased that we were able to pass this through council and continue to grow our enterprise,” said Principal Chief Patrick Lambert in a press release from the casino. The Cherokee Tribal Council approved the project last week, authorizing the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise to borrow up to $250 million to complete it, with the casino’s director of planning and analysis Jeremiah Wiggins telling council the project is expected to run in the $150 to $200 million range, with the $250 million figure possible as a contingency.

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