“Not having the ability to smoke and game at the same time.” The Cherokee casinos previously allowed indoor smoking in designated areas, but they were not completely partitioned off from the supposedly smoke-free sections.

“And that has been a point that we continue to get called out on,” said Robinson. In response to a question on whether customer surveys had been conducted on the subject, senior vice president and general manager of Harrah’s Cherokee Brooks Robinson admitted no specific surveys on the subject had been done, but that the venue learned through reports called Bird’s Eye Reviews across social media platforms.

Teresa McCoy said referencing the fact that the casinos have been smoke-free since the COVID-19 pandemic started, further reports One Feather. “We made a lot of money without cigarettes, pipes, and cigars being lit up in our casino, and I’ve been told by a lot of the employees up there that they are really grateful for that,” Big Cove Rep. The amendment states smoking may be permitted “inside an enclosed area” located on the ground of the tribal casinos, which must be specifically designed as a “smoking area.” Said area must be “sufficiently removed” from gaming operations so that smoke does not migrate into enclosed areas where smoking is prohibited. The measure was slightly amended prior to its passage. The tribe expects to maintain its successful operations despite the smoking ban, while employees have shown support for the newly-passed measure. “This is huge for us, as leaders in Indian Country.”

“I’m so grateful right now,” Lavita Hill, author of the legislation, told Council, according to Cherokee One Feather. The legislation aims at making both patrons and employees at the properties no longer be subject to smoking on a large scale. The rule will limit where people can smoke at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River in Murphy, the two gambling properties the tribe owns in North Carolina. 3 during its regular session, held last Thursday. The Tribal Council of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has passed Ord.

Cherokee gambling casino