A group in Cherokee is circulating a petition calling for a referendum to decide whether voters want alcohol sales at Harrah’s Casino.

To get the measure on the ballot and in front of voters requires 1,600 signatures, and about 1,000 have been gathered so far, said Bob Blankenship, a member of the Petitioners Committee.

To sign the petition one must be a registered voter and member of the tribe.

Allowing alcohol sales at the casino would generate a projected $40 million to $70 million in additional revenues annually, according to Norma Moss, chairwoman of the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise, which overseas the casino and hotel operation.

“We should be giving customers this amenity,” said Moss. “The casino business is very competitive, and we want to satisfy the customers or they will go somewhere else.

“We understand it’s an emotional issue for some, but the bottom line is this is a business decision,” she said.

If the casino alcohol sales is brought to a vote and passes it would mean tribal members would receive larger per capita checks because half of the casino’s profits are distributed amongst the approximately 14,000 tribal members.

With current economic conditions the bi-annual per capita checks are down 11 percent, Blankenship said, and adding another source of revenue would help. He said some would vote in favor of alcohol just so their per capita check would increase, but he said others want to see the reservation’s schools and hospital, which also receive casino profits, improve.

Blankenship, who served 12 years on the Tribal Council, said the important thing is for people to have a vote on the matter.

Principal Chief Michell Hicks in August vetoed the Tribal Council’s vote to allow the alcohol issue to be put on the ballot.

After the veto, Hicks issued a statement that said, “It is my belief that an affirmative decision to open the door for alcohol would shame our forefathers for their efforts on this issue.”

The Tribal Council couldn’t override the veto because it needed a two-thirds majority.

Blankenship said allowing alcohol at the casino is not going to make drinking on the reservation any worse, saying people simply drive to Bryson City to purchase alcohol now.

“It’s not an issue of whether Indians drink,” he said. “They’re already drinking it.”

He noted that prohibition didn’t work but only made problems worse, and the only way to handle alcohol is to “control it, tax it and regulate it.”

If enough signatures are received on the petition, the Tribal Council must still pass a resolution to direct the Election Board to hold a referendum, Blankenship said.

Blankenship said he does not think the council would vote against the matter once the signatures were received because that would be going against the will of those who signed the petition.

Cherokee is rare in not having alcohol in its casino, Blankenship said, adding that “95 percent of Indian casinos have alcohol.”

Blankenship agreed with Moss in that he thinks the casino will lose business to other casinos if alcohol is not offered.

Harrah’s is doing a $650 million expansion that includes expanded gaming, a spa, entertainment facility, and 500 more rooms, Blankenship said, adding there is nothing wrong with allowing someone to have a glass of wine in the spa.