CATOOSA, Okla. — Cherokee Nation Entertainment is celebrating the 35th Anniversary of its gaming and hospitality operations.
The tribe says what began as a small bingo hall in Roland, Oklahoma has evolved into one of our region’s largest gaming and hospitality enterprises.
“What it’s really meant is jobs for Cherokee people and communities across the reservation and revenue so that we can fund a lot of programs and services.” says Chuck Hoskin Jr. Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Hoskin says it is a huge industry that employs a lot of people and has a rippling effect.
“Gaming has become a shrinking part of our growing business portfolio, but we remember how it all got started and we remember the bold leadership of the folks that were here in 1990 who made decisions that they surely hoped would lead to great prosperity in terms of jobs and revenue and impact across the region and it really has. Those of us along the way have just tried to help along this vision of full employment, maximizing revenue and really being an indispensable part of the economy of this region.”
Hoskin says over the course of 35 years there has been over $1 billion delivered to the Cherokee Nation in revenue and employs more than 4,000 people.
“Where does that go? it goes into jobs for Cherokee people, scholarships, better health care, housing, you name it. Where we have filled gaps that exist, we can attribute that so much to the hardworking men and women of Cherokee Nation businesses and in this case that major piece of CNB, which is our Cherokee Nation Entertainment Division.”
Today, Cherokee Nation Entertainment operates 11 casinos, including 10 casino locations throughout the Cherokee Nation.