Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel has shared significant updates on the development of the highly anticipated Valley Tower. Valley Tower marks the latest milestone in Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River’s $275 million expansion project, following the opening of a 25,000 square-foot expanded casino floor this past May.

Construction on the Valley Tower has progressed substantially, with exterior wall panel installation complete and framing fully finished up to level 11. Key systems such as mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire sprinklers are now in place across all floors, while drywall and insulation have been installed from levels one through nine. In the coming months, teams led by Robins & Morton will focus on interior finishes, wiring low-voltage and fire alarm systems, and building out IT and electrical rooms.

Once complete, Valley Tower will embody the spirit of the valley and beauty of the adjacent Nantahala National Forest, creating a new sense of luxury on site. Lodgers will be greeted by an onyx stone reception desk set against custom wood paneling, with warm wood tones, organic furnishings, and forest-inspired carpeting that will enhance the inviting atmosphere.

“We’re thrilled to share our progress made to Valley Tower and are eager to welcome guests to experience the luxurious new rooms and enhanced amenities soon. Every detail of the Valley Tower has been thoughtfully designed with our guests’ comfort and enjoyment in mind,” said Lumpy Lambert, General Manager of Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel.

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In addition to nearly doubling the amount of hotel rooms currently offered, Valley Tower will also host a lineup of luxe amenities including the 12,000 square-foot rooftop restaurant providing enchanting mountain views, the 9600 square-foot salon and spa, and year-round indoor pool. The development of these additions is on-schedule for an early 2025 opening.

Guests can begin booking rooms online for stays at Valley Tower starting on 1 March 2025. While this is the first available date to book online, the property anticipates having rooms turned over sooner in late 2024.

To accommodate the influx of casino goers and lodgers, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is also nearing completion of their new 5-story parking deck. The structure’s concrete slab is now finished with all precast elements installed. In the coming weeks, crews will finish caulking and sealing expansion joints, striping parking spots, and installing the deck’s elevators and electrical and mechanical rooms.

The new amenities will also introduce new positions in hotel, food and beverage, facilities, and retail in the coming months. Wages start at $15/hour, and all Harrah’s Cherokee Team Members have access to the tuition/certification reimbursement program and career growth opportunities within Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos.

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Scientific Games announced the appointment of Patrick Homm as Vice President, Systems Engineering for the company’s international lottery systems technology. Patrick Homm brings over a decade of experience in innovative gaming systems, software engineering, technology leadership, and large-scale systems architecture to his new role. As the industry’s fastest-growing lottery systems provider, Scientific Games continues investment in omnichannel technology ecosystems that deliver optimal consumer experiences across lottery retail and digital channels.

Since joining Scientific Games in 2022, Homm has managed multiple high-impact retail and iLottery projects as the company’s business scaled as a trusted technology partner to 80 lotteries worldwide on one or more systems solutions.

With his leadership experience in agile transformation, microservice architecture, and cloud policy development, he has driven innovation and operational excellence throughout his career. Prior to joining the Scientific Games technology team in Vienna, Homm held various roles at Admiral Group for eight years, including Head of Portal Engineering.

Homm’s hands-on approach, innovative mindset and ability to foster collaboration across teams align perfectly with Scientific Games’ mission to deliver secure, world-class retail, iLottery, and sports betting systems for the government-regulated lottery industry.

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Michael Conforti, President, International at Scientific Games, said: “Patrick’s appointment is a pivotal step in further strengthening our International Systems team. His deep expertise, visionary leadership and commitment to fostering innovation will help us achieve our strategic goals as we continue to revolutionize omnichannel lottery systems technology for the next generation of lottery retailers and players.”

Jackpot. com – the online lottery courier service that allows consumers to purchase official state lottery tickets on their phone, tablet, or computer – announced today the launch of its digital scratch ticket offering in Massachusetts, Ohio, and Texas. This new offering enables customers to play official state scratch tickets on all their devices.

Coupling the convenience of buying scratch tickets digitally with quick transaction and processing times, Jackpot. com aims to be the preferred provider of digital scratch tickets.

“Unlike traditional draw-based lottery games with set draw times, scratch tickets offer players instant excitement,” explained Akshay Khanna, CEO and co-founder of Jackpot. com. “At Jackpot, we prioritize delivering the fastest and most comprehensive digital scratch card experience, ensuring that the excitement of instant results is always at your fingertips.”

Scratch tickets encompass roughly two-thirds of the $100+ billion U.S. lottery market. With higher price points, better prize payout percentages, and the instant gratification of playing, it is no secret why.

However, the online lottery courier service to-date has struggled with the expediency of ticket delivery. According to a recent report by Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, it took 30-90 minutes for couriers to fulfill the scratcher process – now with its unique scratching technology, Jackpot. com delivers the industry’s fastest online lottery scratch card experience. In addition, the courier has also completed a comprehensive business process review by Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), ensuring its method for ordering and processing lottery scratch tickets is accurate and functions as expected for both

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Jackpot. com and the player. As such, Jackpot. com’s online Scratcher offering has been confirmed to operate as designed and intended, validating the customer’s online experience and the ability to track the online purchase of state lottery tickets.

Jackpot. com offers customers the excitement of scratching a physical ticket in a digital environment. When a customer purchases a scratch ticket through Jackpot. com, they can use their touchscreen or mouse to “scratch” the screen and uncover their scanned ticket and possible winnings. Prizes up to the state’s retail claim threshold are instantly credited to the customer’s account, which can then be redeemed for cash or used to buy additional lottery tickets. For larger wins, Jackpot. com assists customers in claiming their prize(s) directly from the official state lottery.

Players in Massachusetts will have access to eight unique Scratchers upon the launch, including Lifetime Millions and the nation’s first-ever JAWS instant ticket. Debuted earlier this year in honor of next summer’s 50th anniversary of the JAWS theatrical release, the instant ticket gives players the opportunity to win instant grand prizes of $1 million, as well as Second Chance Drawings in which 30 winners will be awarded a JAWS-inspired trip for two to Martha’s Vineyard in the summer of 2025.

In Ohio, Jackpot. com launches with eight Scratchers, including three of the state’s most popular scratch-off games – Billion ($50), Lady Luck ($20) and Golden Casino ($10).

Jackpot. com will launch with seven Scratchers in Texas, including the popular 500x and Jackpot Millions.

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