Cherokee, North Carolina - Investigators have stopped a cheating ring that stole USD 286,000 at the Cherokee Indian casino in western North Carolina, a newspaper reported Wednesday. No arrests have been made but investigators are questioning a 26-year-old electronic card dealer at Harrah's Cherokee Casino, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported. Cherokee Indian Police Department Chief Ben Reed said the FBI had been contacted.

Cherokee - Harrah's Cherokee Casino plans to continue with a USD 650 million expansion to double its gambling floor space by 2012 even though the gambling business is taking a hit in the economic downturn. Harrah's Cherokee is one of western North Carolina's largest employers with 1,800 workers. The Eastern Band of Cherokees pays Harrah's to run its casino.