Poker Writer
The chances of a casino coming to South Carolina appear dead for 2026 after a bill failed amid heavy opposition from Governor Henry McMaster.
House Bill 4176 was a largely Democrat backed bill that made its way to the House Ways and Means Committee before it was recommitted. The bill wanted to authorize a casino called “Santee Casino” along a rural part of Interstate 95 in Orangeburg County in the Lowstate of South Carolina.
Governor’s Resistance Doesn’t Budge
The 78-year-old Gov. McMaster has been in office since 2017, when Nikki Haley resigned as Governor to become U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. He has long opposed a casino coming to the Palmetto State. Speaking to reporters from The State he reaffirmed his opposition last week:
I’ve always opposed gambling as a means to raise revenue like this… I think the majority of the people in the state do not want casino gambling, and I don’t either.
Despite his long-standing aversion to gambling, there was some belief that his position on a casino could be tweaked. Ways and Means Chairman Bruce Bannister offered an amendment to the bill to mandate 35% of the revenue from a casino, as much as $30 million, to go toward conservation efforts. He talked about potentially changing the Governor’s mind about the casino. A hope that was ultimately shut down:
One of the things that was anticipated was that the governor may be moderating his resistance to the bill. He has come out and said that he would veto it under its current form, even with the amendment that we talked about.
Bannister has not abandoned all hope, but admits the pathway to a casino in South Carolina is likely closed until at least 2027 as he told the Post and Courier:
There’s a pathway that it could be successful at the end of the day. But I don’t see that pathway right now based on the current circumstances.
Palmetto State Standing Firm on Strict Gambling Laws
South Carolina currently has some of the strictest anti-gambling laws of any state in the country. Most state residents take a trip to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in the North Carolina mountains if they wish for a casino getaway.
Sports betting is also illegal in the state, one of 12 where it remains illegal. But there is some movement to change that, with a current bill, carried over from 2024, in a subcommittee that would allow up to eight sportsbooks to operate in the state. It would also establish a South Carolina Sports Wagering Committee and allow online sports betting.
South Carolina Religious Opposition
Religious groups hold a lot of power in the ‘bible belt’ state, as many churches and religious institutions encourage their members to oppose casino or gambling legislation. Many groups with ties to several mostly Protestant denominations protest at the statehouse in Columbia.
Steve Pettit, president of the evangelical conservative Palmetto Family Alliance, cheered the rejection of the latest casino bill:
Saying ‘no’ to casinos in South Carolina was one of our major legislative initiatives this year. I’m thankful to the thousands of South Carolinians who contacted their representatives to urge a ‘no’ vote on casinos.
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