A headline informs us the Cherokee casino is being transformed into a full-scale resort destination. According to the Asheville Citizen-Times:
It’s hard to overstate the casino’s impact on the mountain region. . . . In 2009, the economic impact on Jackson and Swain counties was estimated to be about $300 million. Capital investments added another $82 million.
All told, one might conclude putting coins in a machine and hoping for more to come out does more for the population than planting a field.