The destination, though, is the same: Cherokee, N.C., and specifically Harrah’s Casino. From Greensboro, riders can sleep in a little later.

In Florence, S.C., pickup comes at 5:45 a.m. Eager travelers wait in lamp-lighted parking lots for their air-conditioned rides to pull up, hiss their doors open and load their human cargo. The tour buses crank up their engines before dawn. While the Cherokee tribe and the region have benefited economically from the casino dollars, some are concerned that it’s taking attention away from the culture and history of the Cherokee people. Another 1.4 million visited Harrah’s newer Valley River Casino & Hotel in Murphy, which opened four years ago. Last year, 4 million visitors passed through the doors to the casino, to its 1,000 hotel rooms and to its 24-lane bowling alley and concert venue.

On a casino floor approaching the size of three football fields, the roulette tables and slot machines are open for business 24 hours a day. The business of casinos is transforming some areas of Western North Carolina and creating jobs, but that may be a mixed blessing at best.