Picture courtesy of Asheville Citizen-Times.
Harrah's Casino inched closer to becoming the new naming sponsor for the Asheville Civic Center, but gets opposition from the Civic Center Commission.
Harrah's submitted a 5-year bid for $3.25 million in naming rights, compared to the current sponsor U.S. Cell who offered $923,000 over the same five-year period. Harrah's bid could expand to $5.75 million if extended to a ten year period, ending in 2030.
In a 3-2 vote against the Harrah's offer, the Asheville Civic Center Commisssion said they did not feel that bringing a 'casino gaming name' to Asheville was appropriate and 'inconsitent with Asheville's Community identity' and favored staying with the lower-bid of U. S. Cellular. Several others on the commission disagreed and said that the 'casino' name would not appear on the building. Those board members in favor of Harrah's bid said the $3.25 million dollars would allow the civic center to make much needed patron improvements.
The Asheville City Council, who has the final say, is expected to vote on the matter in May.
