North Carolina Harrah’s Cherokee casinos to open sportsbooks by fall

Last week, North Carolina joined the growing list of states that have legalized wagers on sporting events, when Gov. Roy Cooper signed Senate Bill 154 into law.

Now, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have announced they will open ‘The Book’ at both of its casinos, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel. Both properties are operated by Caesars Entertainment. 

Development will begin immediately at both locations and completion is expected by late fall, AJC reports. During construction, the resort in Cherokee will open a temporary location in what is currently Sound Bytes at its UltraStar Multi-tainment Center. The Book location at Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River will be located near the promotions stage. Patrons can wager on collegiate and professional sports, as well as off-track horse racing. 

Guests will soon be able to wager on collegiate and professional sports as well as on off-track horse racing at both locations. pic.twitter.com/MVT73jkCkD

— Harrah's Cherokee (@HarrahsCherokee) 29 de julio de 2019

In the past year, sports gambling has been legalized in New Jersey, Delaware, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, among other states. The Harrah’s Valley River property offers the closest gambling to Georgia. 

Opened in 2015, the 50,000-square-foot casino and 300-room hotel is located exactly 15.3 miles over the state line is about a two-hour drive from metro Atlanta. The larger resort-styled Harrah’s Cherokee, tucked in the North Carolina Smoky Mountains about three hours from metro Atlanta, continues to expand after almost 22 years in the market. Its World Series of Poker room, which opened in 2012, is renowned in the industry and the giant Multi-tainment Center, which arrived in 2017, added bowling and a family-friendly arcade to the property.