I went to this casino last year, and had a great time. I started out playing dollar slots, and was losing.
after losing about $50 I moved to the penny slots, spent about the same amount and won about $500
My guess is to play the slots for a quarter or less, you can play longer and if you lose it probably won't be so much.
for $100 you can play a long time. If you go for the fun of it, and don't play for too much money.
It is a great place. I live in Georgia, and play the lottery, I bought five $10 tickets and didn't win anything.
I lost my money in less than 10 minutes. I could have played the penny slots for at least 2 hours.
I love it up there!!!! It is all about FUN!!!!

My wife and I just returned from Harrah's Cherokee. We also visited in early December. I didn't play the slots and the only table game I played was the multi-player blackjack, not the one with the live dealer. I mostly played blackjack on the Pot O' Gold machines and did well. We left with more $$ than we arrived with. That, along with comped rooms made for a good trip.
Our room was in the Creek tower and was excellent. The only thing lacking was reasonable good food.
The gaming floor was still in the midst of renovation, as well on our previous trip in December.
We'll probably be making the trip again soon as Cherokee is only 3 1/2 hrs from our home in Marietta, Ga. Next time we'll try to figure out how to find better restaurants, at Harrah's or maybe in Cherokee.

I live in the Atlanta area and visit Cherokee about every month or so if I can get a room. One of my main complaints is that they send you offers for cash (these have drastically gone down in amount since construction). Where I used to get $100 on guaranteed rewards, I now only get $50. I used to get anywhere from 90 to 200 coupons cash. Those are now 20 to 45 cash. The amount I spend is still the same or more. The payout is almost non existent. They send you room offers, but you can never get a room on the date that your cash coupons are for. I'm sure it is planned that way. Also, for FREE room they now make you pay $50 deposit per day for room. I don't think that's right. They can look at your history and tell if you have ever ordered movies, room service or not. I guess they have to pay for all the construction? My next complaint is the distance you have to walk to get to the casino. Probably 80% of the visitors are elderly retired people. The majority of these people have back, leg or breathing problems. I can't believe they didn't put in a moving sidewalk. This would have been great. Late last year they did put a golf cart in motion to take people back and forth, but it is usually charging or full and they cut off service at 12:00 a.m. They need to remedy this problem. I myself have multi level degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, nerve damage in legs and asthma. By the time I walk the distance to and from room to casino, I am exhausted. They need to remember most players are seniors!!!! The food used to be terrible, Market Buffet, Paula Deans did not impress me at all. I got a sandwich at Johnny Rockets. There were 5 people ahead of me to check out. IT TOOK 25 MINUTES to get thru. My food was cold by the time I got thru the check out line. I get one free meal a day at Seven Sisters, but I would rather go to McDonalds down the street, because the food is SO BAD!!! The Selu Cafe was....the only place that had halfway decent food and they shut it down. I went the week after Christmas this year and ate at Chef's Stage. The food was absolutely wonderful. Yea!!! they finally have decent food!! Our server was great also. The pay line could use some attention, to get it to move faster, but I'm okay because the food is so good. I've never been disappointed with the rooms. They are very nice rooms, always clean and service staff are very friendly and helpful.

I live a little over two hours from cherokee. visit at least 4 times a year. went new years day- won $1400 jackpot on eightball video poker. stayed overnight and played the next day- won a jackpot on toucheasy keno for $5483.00. in the past (15 years) visits i have only won two other jackpots in the range of $1000-1200. Overall it's a great getaway with my husband. Food is good. Staff is very friendly. Don't let negative nancy posts keep you from visiting and seeing the beautiful mountains on the trip there. enjoy!!!

Cherokee is the closest casino to my itchy hands. I have been to other native run properties on the west coast and hit the both Atlantic City and Las Vegas. While I am an occasional slot person, craps and blackjack are my games of choice. This place is a different animal - the dealer is paid to push a button and not touch real cards at the table. It is a whacky hybrid of a laptop game and a true table. While you are paid in chips, your hand movements are on a glass top and not the green felt of comfort.
Additonally, it is without a one of the most smoke filled places I have been in my entire life. Bring an extra set of clothes!

I failed to give the update I had promised and I'm kind of glad I did. I visited on October 26th and again today. First and foremost, I found lots of players hitting small payouts and heard several others comment of how the machines seemed to be paying better. From my own experience, I'd agree. I played for hours both days and went away ahead both days. And so did everyone with me. I even hit a 5 of a kind on the 50 cent Shamrock 7!
There has been a big, big change in the buffet. The old buffet has been closed. I ate there on the 26th & there was a sign advising it would close and be replaced by the new buffet upstairs. I ate at the new buffet today. There's several things you need to know. First, it is only open for dinner on Monday through Thursday, 4:30 PM to 10 PM. It is open all day on Friday, Saturday & Sunday. It is a bit pricey when compared with the old rate, $23.50 I think. It has only been open a week and they are still experiencing some newness pains. For instance, they opened two pay lines but one line had two cashiers and the other had only one so it took twice as long if you chose the wrong line.(I did). I will say in all the years and all the casino buffets I have visited, I have never seen such good service by the staff. It was better than most 5 star restaurants. They also have a full bar in the buffet for those who need it. There is an excellent choice of meals, so much that it will take several visits just to sample everything. I ran out of room far before I had tried everything I wanted. The grilled salmon is a must and the pastas were great. But stay away from the sushi. It needs some work. And the desserts are a little plain but who had room left. I had a small piece of really good pecan pie.
I'm going to go back again right after Thanksgiving and I'll give an update.

This is one bizarre place. Let's start with card games with no cards. Some bizarre North Carolina law so the cards are electronic while you play with actual chips and a "dealer". Some of the worst video poker paytables I've ever encountered (I've never seen a JOB machine that only paid 15 for a 4 of a kind). There is nothing to do in Cherokee other than the casino and some kitsch shops. The choice of restaurants was very limited. Not impressed with Paula Deen's at all. Gamble elsewhere.

I last visited Cherokee in late July but plan to visit again tomorrow. I thought I would post my last visit and then post again about tomorrow's visit. I parked my motorhome down by the river in the old parking lot. Now that the new parking garage is open, there is no bus service so the only way to get to the casino is to walk. I had suggested last year they put in a call for pickup box, but no action was taken. I entered the casino through the new valet parking area and walked through bank after bank of empty $1 machines. I finally found where all the players were, at the penny machines. It always amazes me when I see empty areas of $1 machines and all the penny machines are full. However, my major is not in casino marketing so I guess they know better. I ate at the Fresh Market buffet and the food was absolutely great. This used to be an only fair buffet but it certainly has turned around 100%. My complements to the chef and management. I played some slots but found most everything to be tight. I guess someone has to pay for the new addition and new hotel! More to come after tomorrow's visit.

KEEP DRIVING TO ANY CASINO IN MISSISSIPPI. This was my second time visiting the only casino in North Carolina. The beautiful surroundings and elegant design of the casino has much to offer except one thing: a fair gamble. This Caesar's property which kept its Harrah's name has very, very tight slots and should be avoided. I personally sent several thousand dollars through the dollar slots and only got single cherries and double bars. The lock and second spin machines are mostly all gone. They have what is called "Cherokee Lottery Wheels" which enter you in a drawing for a prize determined by denomination. This has the negative effect of having to report any win over $600.00 to the IRS. But don't count on those. The speaker announces small wins of $400 and $500 while you play but you will lose money. They also have several monitors showing how much the casino has paid out in wins over a 24 hour period and this is a real joke. It includes every cherry and double bar that has been gambled back into the machine. Only the ignorant or naive individual can't figure this out. Save your money for a rafting trip on the Nanatahela and keeping going on to Mississippi. This casino is a sucker's cage that should be avoided at all costs. It truly is the white buffalo for the Cherokees.

About me: The only reason I go to Cherokee is to play poker. My wife does not like to gamble. When I go its just me or a few friends there to play cards. A few times I have ventured in to the Smokey National Park to take pictures. Photography is my other hobby.

The good: With the renovations the casino is turning in to a very nice place. The décor is the match of any casino in Las Vegas. The rooms are also top notch. The hotel staff is very helpful. So is the casino staff (for the most part).

The bad: Other then the casino there is very little to do in Cherokee. The Smoky National Park is there if you enjoy hiking or photography. The food in the casino among the worst I have ever had. It was also very expensive. The best food I have had in Cherokee was at the Wendy’s about ½ mile from the casino. The buffet usually has a very long line, and is sub-par at best. The long line is due to slow cashiers, not demand. The last trip I packed a lunch and ate in the room. The new rooms are far from the casino. It is almost a mile walk from the new rooms to the gaming floor. (There is construction on a walkway which will shorten the distance.) There are no comped alcohol drinks.

The iffy: The tables are all electronic. There are no cards, even for poker and blackjack. I mostly play poker and have gotten used to the tables. In some ways the electronic poker tables are better than real cards. (but that is a different discussion) For blackjack I still like the real cards. Having craps or roullette would be very nice and help round out the casino. They still allow smoking in the casino. The air filters are getting better that is not as annoying as it was a few years ago.

The comps are also iffy. I can get better room comps at Las Vegas than at Cherokee. But since Cherokee is only 3 hours away, that still wins out for weekend trips.

The only staff issue I have had was with one of the Poker Room managers. He stopped all play to tell the players that it was not his job to pick up trash after someone left a soda can. Not the most professional behavior. Other than him (I've seen him with a few remarks like that) the rest of the poker room staff is great.

Summary. Nice casino complex and rooms are very nice. Staff very helpful. Food sucks. Not much to do other then gamble. Getting a weekend room is near impossible and expensive if you can get one without a comp.

I live about 3 hours away and go over to Cherokee about once every two months. Since the construction started, the payouts have been decreasing. I previously saw many people around me winning -- now nothing or it’s a small amount. And the more you bet, the less frequently the machines seem to pay.

My favorite casino game is blackjack and I’ve always done well. They say the electronic blackjack tables are the same as cards, but I don’t even win on those anymore – so I think the payouts are controlled on them also. They seem to only have 1 $15 table and all the others are $25 and up. They previously had at least 1 $10 table. Also they do not have a no-smoking section with the table games.

Every time I go, the casino has changed due to construction. There is now a much larger no-smoking section, but it does not have the particular games that I like. The ventilation seems to be much improved – unless the person next to you has the cigarette in your face. I still feel like I smell like an ashtray when I leave – but in fairness, it no longer has the blue haze over the slots.

The new rooms are very nice and they are renovating the older section. Most people do get their rooms through the player’s club benefits. It doesn’t take much play to get an area hotel during the week. I frequently stay several nights and spend time in the Smoky Mountain National Park instead of the casino. All rooms have large screen TV’s and refrigerators and are large with comfortable beds. I have always found them to be clean.

Food is not very good, they close the best restaurants to open Paul Dean’s which I have found to be a disappointment, but I’m usually using my player’s card rewards to pay. They are opening a food court soon from what I’ve heard. The restaurants in Cherokee are not very good either. Go to Dillsboro, Maggie Valley, Silva, Waynesville or Bryson City instead. Drinks (beer, wine and mixed drinks) are now available in the restaurants and on the floor – but they are not complimentary. Soft drinks, water, coffee etc are complimentary if you can find a server.

The casino/hotel complex is not people friendly. It is a long-long walk anywhere. Not recommended for anyone with trouble walking. You can walk as much a 2 long blocks to reach your room, then you have a very long walk to the casino. I use valet parking at the hotel and drive to/from the new casino parking deck. And I try to get room in the newest section.
I have always found the staff to be friendly, courteous and helpful – and that includes everyone.

I will continue to go to Cherokee, but I’m limiting myself to only playing the minimum and save my money for trips to non-reservation casinos even if I have to fly to get there.

I drove from Charleston SC to visit this Casino.First let me say I have traveled all over the world and been in hundreds of different Casinos.This Casino is by far the most poorly run and folks all these negative reviews left for this Casino are there for a reason.Not all the reviews left are by those who lost money at this Casino.I did not lose one red cent.Folks the mountains in Cherokee are beautiful but that is the only thing there worth looking at.The rooms are filthy and smell of tobacco.Maggie Valley is a ghost town and most of the road side vendors are gone.I spoke with many business owners in the town of Cherokee and all of them said the Casino coming there only hurt their business.So the truth is only Harrahs Casino actually makes a profit.Is it really worth 7,000.00 dollars a year to each indian to have a Casino on your land that puts all the true business owners around it out of business.I see the Indians losing money not making it.Read all the reviews left for this Casino folks.The advice is for free.

My sister and I have been coming to Harrah's Cherokee, ever since they first built it, and there was no Hotel at the time. Only local ones. At first, we had a fabulous time. We won great payouts and the food was great. Each year, it has gotten not so great. After a couple of years, we were giving our money to them (although I came with a certain amount to spend, my sister came with a LOT to give them). It has gotten to be---NOT SO MUCH FUN, any more. We both are in our 70's and have always gone to casinos together.

We used to have a COMP HOST. She was wonderful and very helpful. Now, NO comp host, unless you are going there five six times a year, or at least once a month!! It is ridiculious, as my sister lives in VIRGINIA!!! Still works a job and cannot travel to NC once a month. Now, when you try to get a room, (Although you get a booklet with FREE room ) they say that they are FULL UP. Really? Out of hundreds of rooms, they are FULL UP?? NO WAY. Also, your Rewards Points are taken away, IF you do not play within six months. THAT is NOT fair!!! We van only go there twice a year, since my sister lives in VIRGINIA!

Now, our very FAVORITE restaurant in the hotel Selu , (Which by the way, had the very best food) is gone, and guess who is there?? PAULA DEAN'S. Will it be as good? We will find out soon. If not, we will travel about two miles down the road towards Maggie Valley, and eat at Granny's Kitchen, which is what we do at least once or twice while we are there. EXCELLENT food buffet, and doesn't cost much.

As for playing the slots....Well. I will play for awhile, not very long (because There are VERY FEW Lock and Roll machines left, and all those silly annoying games making all kinds of annoying noises!) unless I can find a Lock and Roll machine. Now, the machines are the ones that you have to play 9 lines and 10 coins. Might as well go over and play (give your money) a dollar machine. We always liked the bars, stars and 7's machine's, which you have to look for a day, to find one. All those silly burping, belching, barking, noisy machines!!

All I can really say, is that the staff at the casino and at the hotel are excellent and courteous. The view from the rooms are very nice, to look out early in the morning, to see the sun rise over the most beautiful mountains on the East Coast.

Although the casino isn't what it used to be, I have fun.

Come and stay and play, and leave your money, here.

Went to this casino Feb. 2011, stayed at their new hotel The hotel itself is top star--but the journey to the casino is so far that you need a passport to make the trip. The lady that was with me is a senior citizen--we almost had to call 911 for her
When we started to play the machines we found that they were tighter than they were the last time we were there. I guess they have to pay for all the new construction--but why all at once? I finally found the live poker area--hidden to one side --so dark that we walked by it several times--asked a security officer and we were right beside it.The opinion of our group was never again; we will drive to the Gulf Coast and play at good casinos.

Been 3 times, got creamed every time. Save yourself some money, buy a ticket to Vegas and play there, you enjoy it so much more. Reception desk confused about where our room was. Horrible experience, never again!

Well we have been going to this casino regularly for almost 3 years. As we are both diamond members we brought money home only a couple of times. WOW ok so we get to eat 1 meal per day free of not the best food in the world and they will give us a room if we beg but not on the weekend we get 3 five dollar coupons to use each month and we are just now smart enough to get online and find out that this casino has no laws on payout percentages and can do whatever they want so that explains why one minute the machines might be playing good and then they just stop all together. Not even a small return. Shame on us lol. If you go here don't expect to win a dime. Take what you plan to lose and be done when your playing money runs out. Don't go get more because you will just lose it, also they really could treat players better than that but they just don't care.

My Wife and I have had the opportunity to travel from Florida to play at Harrah's Cherokee Casino. I can tell you that the hotel overlooks beautiful mountains and a stream that runs through the property. The Hotel is decorated with a great collection of Cherokee Indian Artwork and the Customer Service was Good.

Their new event center was well though out and the casino is starting to book well known acts to play at the event center. We saw Hank Williams Jr and Lady Antebellum at the casino during our last trip.

Don't expect to play any money that you are hoping to travel home with. The Slots are very tight, the chances of winning are low and any winners over $1,000 are announced over their intercom system and you will hear "Harrah's Cherokee Casino players are winning big" every now and then.

We play while we are in town, however, I would never take a trip to Cherokee just to play at their casino. I would rather hand my money over to the security guard at the door and help a local.

We have better luck playing at Seminole Casinos in Florida with great comps for little play, free food and free play. The last time I spent $400 and received two $5 Free Play Coupons for a month. Not Impressed!

If Harrah's Cherokee Casino were not in a tourist area, they would be out of business by now. Every Casino is designed to make money, however, they need to pay out a percentage in order to have repeat customers who support their business to come back.

Harrah's, You have put your name on this casino .. Please give this some consideration and take the opportunity to improve Food and Beverage, Comps and Payout Percentage for this property.

You all have said enough about the low payouts, it's true. They put a digital craps table out and it was paying off like mad. People were lined up 2-3 deep waiting a long time to sit down for the free money. Then, it mysteriously disappeared and came back, quite worse. People were actually winning money on this machine and they had to put a stop to that!!

Also, any of you who rate the food at this hotel higher than 1 star must be on a lot of drugs because it has been HORRIBLE every time we visit. It has been this way for the almost 6 years we have been going. Have tried the buffet twice and will never, never try that again.

They are in the dark ages on menu options and although the overall customer service is excellent at this property someone has their head up their butt when it comes to ANY food served on site. Let me say it again, HORRIBLE food, every time I have eaten anywhere in the casino the last 6 years, WAKE UP CHEROKEE !!

Just returned from Harrah's at Cherokee. I found the dealers and personnel to be the friendliest I've encountered in a long time. The blackjack dealer at one table advised a couple of newbies on each hand. He seemed genuinely sympathetic for our losses and enthusiastic for our wins. Overall I won at blackjack, but I didn't get to play often enough. I won't sit down at anything higher than a $10.00 table, and the casino only offered one such table each time I was there. I tried several different time slots, but still...one $10.00 table and many $25.00 tables. I will never go to that casino again for blackjack. Since the renovation, the slot areas are very high tech and offer a good variety. The stools are comfortable, and many of the games I'd never seen before. But I didn't win - not once in five trips to the casino. And I would have quit if I'd ever gotten significantly ahead. I hit no big bonuses, though my husband did a couple of times. Overall, the atmosphere of this casino is clean, comfortable, laid back. But I didn't see too many winners. If you're in the mountains anyway, stop for an hour or so. But I don't know if I'd make a special trip.

Nice atmosphere, but do not expect to win any money!

THANK YOU! WE WERE PLANNING a protracted stay at the ONLY game in town!
You saved us a ruined vacation, I prefer card games ,POKER.

Indian casinos are free to set payback percentages as low as the tribes and their casino operators wish in order to maximize profits. They can change the payout percentage at any time to any level they wish. A recent letter from the National Indian Gaming Commission states "The NIGC does not establish minimum pay out percentages; that is up to each tribal operation to determine for themselves."

A 1999 decision in the federal case :Missouri ex rel. Nixon v Coeur D'Alene Tribe" preempted all states in which Indian casinos are located to regulate gambling. This information was obtained fron the North Carolina Attorney General's Office. The 1994 compact between Governor Jim Hunt and the Eastern Band of Cherokees requiring a minimum payout of 83% was preempted by thus court decision. On a recent trip to Cherokee, I played $100.00 in a dollar machine a dollar per spin, and did not get a single win. this was a payback of 0%. Based on my experience, and reviews of other Cherokee patrons on the internet, the payback is probably well below 50%.

Anyone planning a trip to gamble at an Indian casino should be prepared to lose their money in a short period of time.

This is why it is impossible to get an Indian casino to tell you their minimum payback percentage-THERE ISN'T ANY MINIMUM!

I have not won at Cherokee since the construction began. It is almost impossible to come home a winner!!!!!

No pay out at all whatever. It's so upsetting and disgustingd if you can not win at all.

I am not going there anymore to gamble. All machines are so tight you can't even win a thing. Just eating your money. I'd rather go to mgm at tunica than coming here. I give up. Stupid me if I go there again.

They have approved alcohol in restaurants, as well as on the gaming floor now..Maybe with that said, it will be a BIT more enjoyable? I mean, we have heard for years that harrah's cherokee needed to get alcohol.. well, now they have it.. So don't give up completely.. It's not such a bad place.

Wow! What a waste of time and money. There is no payout on the slots and the smoke is so thick I thought I would leave with a newly contracted disease. They should sell CPAP machines in the lobby. They often send me coupons for free rooms, but it's all an illusion. There are no rooms! They save the weekend rooms for big spenders I suppose. Bad payouts, bad smoke, bad attitude from the employees, bad food, bad accommodations........just bad.

I agree with most of the reviews, except that the payouts have gotten increasingly worse with the renovations.

I also live in Atlanta and have no idea what casino John is referring to that is only 3 hours away, but please let me know! I like to drive up for the day on the weekends - beautiful drive, great scenery, but the gaming sucks.

It's really not gaming - it's just taking. Are there any regulations as to what the percentage of return should be? Complete waste of time, other GAMING destinations at least make it fun. At Cherokee, you just feed the machines money.

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Went here with a friend who lives in NC, and it's the only casino in the state. We could not a get a room (it's almost impossible on a weekend), and stayed about 5 miles away.

The casino is very large, and was packed while we were there. The atmosphere was not as good as Reno (my favorite) or Vegas (not by a long shot!). It was VERY smoky. I'd say 95% of all the people there smoked, so we were thankful for the small non-smoking casino room.

We tried very hard to have a good time, but we both lost $300 on nickel and penny slots in the first hour or so. Also, not a lot of popular slot titles. We were looking forward to playing Monopoly slots or Wizard of Oz slots, and they had only two machines for each title and they were constantly busy with people waiting behind you for you to get off the machine (not conducive to a great time!).

I have never lost so much money in such a short space of time, and got very few bonus rounds on the video slots. We ate at the "upscale" restaurant, and found it to be okay, but mediocre, however, probably your safest bet compared to some of the dives we tried in Cherokee!

I would not recommend this casino if you are intending to spend most of your stay gambling; you won't be able to afford it!

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We live in NC so this is the only game in town. As a result we make a couple of trips there a year but take advantage of junkets or drive to Atlantic City, Vegas, Connecticut, Laughlin, Reno and Tunica whenever we can.

Pay out is poor (At best) Accomodations are expensive for the area. Harrah's hotel is nice if you can get a room (Which is nearly impossible on the weekend), and the food is average.

There is virtually NOTHING else to do in the area as you are in the middle of NOWHERE. Our bank roll goes very fast here. Service is exceptable but nothing to write home about! There is no alcohol served per state law so you cannot drown your sorrows after you lose all of your money.

We are smokers so we like that they still have a large are for us but they also have a large non smoking casino as well. They do offer some quality entertainment which is nice but not worth the $1000 a day it costs us in the casino! We've been going there for 10 years and the machine pay outs are far worse now than they were then.

They now have mostly "Raffle Reel" machine which are a sure way to lose your money quickly. We had much more luck with the old "Lock and Roll" machines. The only machines paying out are the ATMs. Seems that everyone has gotten greedy so we have started to spend our money elsewhere! If you are planning on visiting...bring lots of money or don't plan on staying long!

Hotel is relatively new and very nice. Good housekeeping staff. Always friendly and make you feel welcome. I would only rate the food as OK. Service at times can be slow. This hotel casino has a problem finding staff at times which can lead to empty tables and people waiting.



The casino leaves a great deal to be desired-some fixable and some is "legislated" as per the deal with NC. One thing that is legislated in is the method of play for blackjack. Cherokee is NOT your typical video blackjack but a standard Vegas style game using a video screen as a substitute for the shoe. Six decks are in the "video shoe" and approx. 3 are delt out after the cut. Each player has his own little video screen where the cards values appear. The betting is handled like a normal casino and the rules are Vegas strip minus surrender. The betting limits are from $10 up to $100(+?) with the majority being $15. Lately some of the tables at the $10 limit have gone to hitting on soft 17-a sign of the economic times. Air quality in the casino is pure cigarette smoke. One of the worst I've been in.



You also can't drown your sorrows after you threw your money away on the slots as there is no alcohol served.(This IS Baptist country you know!) The casino is due for a complete rebuild (along with a convention center and hotel expansion). Hopefully,? a more realistic, complete set of casino games will be offered along with a much better ventilation system.

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