The economic prosperity that area has seen is something that Danville can look forward to, too, Sneed said. “With the amount of revenue that comes into our community now, we have literally changed the economic scope of western North Carolina.”įive of the poorest counties in the state were in western North Carolina, he said.

“We were in poverty for generations,” Sneed said. Plus, the tribe has a personal connection with Danville’s former economic struggles. Lucas did not respond to a question about what motivated the partnership at this time, but the established relationship between these two groups makes it a natural move.

Now, it’s going to be late and it’s going to cost a hell of a lot more.” In the old days, everything was on time, on budget.

“That number just keeps going up,” said Robert Livingston, senior vice president of development for Caesars, at the event. The increase in the project’s cost was announced in the same release as the partnership with the Eastern Band. So we’ve increased the scope, and we’re looking for a world class asset. “If you remember right, this project started at $450 million ballpark, then $500 million, then yesterday, as announced, $650 million. “We’ve spent the last year and a half or two years working through a potential partnership, on one condition – that we make it bigger and better,” Barber said. “They have a very close synergy and analogue to what we see here ,” he said.īarber said he approached Caesars about expanding the partnership to include a stake in Virginia. During his time with Caesars, he often worked directly or indirectly with the tribe.

This move, which was announced yesterday, has been in the works for a while, said Scott Barber, CEO of the Eastern Band of Indians Holding, LLC, at the groundbreaking event.īarber worked for Caesars for 21 years before joining the Eastern Band’s gaming arm. It wasn’t revealed what percentage the tribe will own. It acquired Caesars Southern Indiana from Caesars Entertainment in September 2021, the tribe’s first acquisition outside of North Carolina.Īnd now, the partnership has moved into Virgina, and the Eastern Band will be an investor in the highly anticipated Danville casino. The tribe operates Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel and Casino in Cherokee, North Carolina, and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel in Murphy, North Carolina.

Cherokee harrah's casino hotel