The casino has a non-smoking poker room with 20 tables. Part of the casino’s revenue is also distributed directly to the Cherokee population, in a form of basic income. Since then, the tribe has used its casino revenues to build a new high school, a hospital, and public housing, and to upgrade public safety services on the reservation, such as police, fire and EMS. This followed the opening of a tribal bingo parlor in the early 1990s, which was quite profitable and led to calls for a casino. Harrah’s Cherokee opened in November 1997 with video poker as the only gaming option.
