Harrah's Cherokee Casino Alcohol Sales Vote (2009)
The Harrah's Cherokee Casino Alcohol Sales Vote was on the June 4, 2009 ballot in Swain County, North Carolina in Cherokee. The ballot measure proposed the approval of alcohol sales at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.
The ballot measure was approved.[1]
- Yes: 1,847 (58.67%)
- No: 1,301 (43.28%)
According, to county officials the June 4 vote was a historic one in because it was the first time in more than a decade that tribal members went to the polls to weigh in on whether beer, wine and liquor can be sold on the Qualla Boundary.
In 1992, alcohol sales in the region were defeated.[2]
Support
Those in support of the measure argue that the alcohol at the casino is strictly a business decision that will help increase revenues that benefit the tribe. “Alcohol is very much a part of the business model for casinos, and if you’re going to make a casino as successful as it might be, then you need to provide alcohol,” said Don Rose, chairman of the petition committee that helped get the referendum on the ballot.[2]
Opposition
The opposition is composed of a coalition of several Baptist churches in Cherokee who are opposed to the consumption of alcohol in all cases. “I’d be fine if they have prohibition all across the nation again,” said Bo Parris, pastor at Cherokee Missionary Baptist Church. “I promote abstinence from alcohol.”[2]
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