Gambling expansion draws increased attention at S.C. State House
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - For South Carolinians who want to press their luck and win big, the lottery is their only option.
Those who want to take a spin on the slot machines, roll the dice in a casino, or bet on sports legally have to travel to other states, with nearly all forms of gambling illegal in the Palmetto State.
But efforts to expand gambling in South Carolina are getting more attention right now at the State House than they have in a while — including a push to develop the state’s first casino.
“There’s no time like the present, but more importantly, the jobs can’t wait, and the area really needs it,” Santee Developer Corporation owner Wallace Cheves said.
Cheves wants to build a casino on a 40-acre property at a former mall site in Santee in Orangeburg County, alongside Interstate 95.
South Carolina’s highest court refuses to stop second firing squad execution
Mahdi, who itted killing an off-duty police officer in an ambush at the officer’s Calhoun County shed, is the fifth person set to be executed in South Carolina in less than eight months.
He has already acquired the land and plans to start razing the old buildings soon to make way for a $1 billion project that would include the casino and a hotel, along with other features like a possible convention center.
“This is South Carolina-owned. I’m a native of South Carolina. We’re willing to invest our money in the project and not ask for any incentives,” Cheves said.
But for it, or any casino, to become a reality, state law needs to change.
A bipartisan bill filed in the House of Representatives would establish a state gaming commission that could license a casino to be built in counties along interstates and that have lower per capita incomes and higher unemployment rates, which includes Orangeburg County.
Meanwhile, senators are considering another bill that would legalize a narrow form of sports betting, specifically on live horse races using approved advanced deposit wagering apps.
“Not something in the past, not slot machines — this is just for the horse industry,” Sen. Michael Johnson, R–York and the bill’s lead sponsor, said.
SCDMV fixes glitch that prevented thousands of teens from voting
Future first-time voters in South Carolina may not have as much of a problem ing as past ones, thanks to a promising development.
Revenues would fund grants to South Carolina’s equine industry, which some believe could generate more buy-in from those who might otherwise be hesitant to gambling expansion.
It’s not enough to get Gov. Henry McMaster on board.
“Let’s find some other way to help that magnificent sport of horse racing,” McMaster recently told reporters. “Just find a way that doesn’t open the door to so many of the things that we do not want in South Carolina.”
To become law, these bills would need to get the signature of McMaster, a staunch, longtime gambling opponent, or garner enough in the General Assembly to override a gubernatorial veto, which requires two-thirds of each body.
“Gambling is bad for our culture. It’s not a part of our heritage, and there are better ways to make money, to give jobs, to generate tax money, to generate a thriving economy, than gambling,” McMaster said.
For now, the horse betting bill remains in a Senate Finance subcommittee, while the casino bill has yet to get its first hearing in the House, so both are still a ways away from reaching the governor’s desk.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
