|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
One of South Carolina’s most underdeveloped, impoverished regions could receive a huge economic boost if plans for a $1 billion casino resort come to fruition.
Plans are in the works to put a state-of-the-art, high-end casino development in Santee, S.C. – a town of approximately 1,000 people located southwest of Lake Marion. Santee is at the center of the Palmetto State’s so-called “corridor of shame,” a rural region which has historically lagged behind the rest of the state in virtually all metrics related to community advancement and individual prosperity.
Could this be the first step in reversing decades of economic depression and dilapidation?
Santee is located approximately 94 miles northeast of South Carolina’s border with Georgia and roughly 98 miles southwest of its border with North Carolina. This strategic location in the center of the state makes it ideally situated to attract traffic from Interstate 95 – one of America’s busiest infrastructure arteries which runs directly through the town.
According to the project’s developer – Greenville, S.C. businessman Wallace Cheves – the facility would be a boon to both the region and the state. Independent economic projections estimate the casino would have an $8 billion impact on South Carolina’s economy within the first 10 years, “creating thousands of good-paying jobs, driving tourism, and expanding business opportunities for local communities,” per Cheves.
***
The best part of the proposal? Cheves isn’t looking for anything from taxpayers. According to the developer, his project will not seek state or local incentives – but will be funded entirely by private investment.
“We strongly believe that this investment should be driven by private enterprise, not taxpayer dollars, ensuring no financial risk to the public sector,” he said.
News of Cheves’ plan was first reported by The (Orangeburg, S.C.) Times and Democrat. It has subsequently been picked up by numerous trade publications.
Cheves is hoping to build the casino resort on the site of the former Santee Outlet Mall, a piece of property purchased by one of his companies in 2022. His goal is to get the project approved this year so that operations can commence no later than 2027.
According to World Casino News, Cheves is “a prominent figure in business and sports management” who specializes in “fostering strategic partnerships across various industries.”
Those familiar with FITSNews know it has editorialized for years in favor of precisely such projects. We have consistently called on state leaders to surrender their state-sponsored gambling monopoly – the so-called “education” lottery – and allow private sector casino developments to flourish within our borders.
“For years, this news outlet has blasted the hypocrisy of state leaders (particularly Republicans) who bemoan the ills associated with the gaming industry on the one hand – while simultaneously running their own taxpayer-funded racket on the other,” FITSNews editorialized in 2019. “These elected officials have no ideological mooring, just a desire to expand government control – and government revenue.”
***
***
“Ironically, they are shortchanging themselves on the revenue front as they fight to preserve their monopoly … depriving the Palmetto State of what could be a paradigm-altering competitive advantage,” the editorial added.
Six years later, lawmakers have yet to act… allowing numerous golden economic opportunities to pass the Palmetto State by.
This time things could be different, though. Last Thursday (March 6, 2025), several influential GOP leaders signed on to a bill which could pave the way for Cheves’ project. The legislation – H. 4176 – is sponsored by, among others, state representatives Chris Murphy, Bill Herbkersman and Weston Newton, three ranking Republican lawmakers.
According to the bill, casino gaming “is not consistent with nor compatible with the economic, labor, or tourism industry profile for most communities in South Carolina,” however “certain counties along Interstate 95 (I-95) represent rural and impoverished school districts” which could benefit from “revenue, job creation, and economic improvement” related to casinos.
Accordingly, the bill would establish a state gaming commission with the authority to award casino licenses in such counties and assume responsibility for the “governance and oversight of casino gaming” in South Carolina.
Given our longstanding advocacy on behalf of such projects, FITSNews welcomes what certainly appears to be a clear shift in the S.C. General Assembly’s attitude toward casinos. We also look forward to learning more about the proposed development in Santee – including its economic projections.
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
8 comments
Bad timing with Herr Trump tanking the economy.
“According to the bill, casino gaming ‘is not consistent with nor compatible with the economic, labor, or tourism industry profile for most communities in South Carolina,’ however ‘certain counties along Interstate 95 (I-95) represent rural and impoverished school districts’ which could benefit from ‘revenue, job creation, and economic improvement’ related to casinos.”
Translation: not in my Charleston, Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, or Pawleys backyard, peasants.
South Carolina will only benefit from the casino. I hope it is approved and goes forward.
We do need one at home SC
Will also thinks legalizing recreational drugs and prostitution is good for SC, smh.
888 star bet [url=http://888-uz6.com/]https://888-uz6.com/[/url]
Assalomu alaykum, taxminan olti oydan beri shu yerda o’ynayman, shuning uchun tajribamni yozib qo’yay dedim. To’g’risini aytganda, dastlab unchalik ishongan emasman — oldin ikkita kon???ada pul yechishda muammo bo’lgan. 888starz ayni damda meni ortiqcha ovoraga qo’ymadi.
Slotlar soni haqiqatan ham ko’p — aniq sanamadim, ammo kamida 7000 dan oshadi. Ko’proq Pragmaticning mashhur narsalarini aylantiraman: Gates of Olympus va Sweet Bonanza. Playn GOdan Book of Dead klassikasi ham bor, Yggdrasilning yaxshi ishlari ham yetarli. Bir narsa g’ashimga tegadi — qidiruv filtri biroz chala, kerakli o’yinni topguncha biroz aylanasan.
Live-kazino menga ko’proq yoqadi. Evolution Gamingning jonli stollari ishlaydi, haqiqiy dilerlar ishtirokida blackjack, ruletka, Crazy Time esa oqshomlari to’lib ketadi. Aloqam Toshkentda yaxshi, shu sabab uzilish sezmadim, ammo 4G da ba’zan sifat pasayadi. Yangi ro’yxatdan o’tganlarga birinchi depozitga 100 foizli bonus hamda 200 ta bepul aylanish beriladi, wager 40x ga teng — ochig’i osonlikcha yopilmaydi, shuning uchun men ko’pincha bonussiz o’ynayman. Deposit qilmasdan promo ham chiqib turadi, hozirgi kodlarni [url=https://software.brandsmaking.com]888starz[/url] dan qarab qo’ying.
Ro’yxatdan o’tish tez tugadi, minimal depozit arzimagan — o’zim 10 000 so’m chamasida sinab ko’rgandim. To’lovlarda Visa va Mastercard, e-hamyonlar hamda kripto bor. USDT bilan yechish mening holimda yarim soat davom etdi, kartaga esa 24 soatgacha kutishga to’g’ri keldi. Hujjat tekshiruvi talab qilingan edi — pasport surati jo’natdim, tez ko’rib chiqishdi.
Mobil ilovada o’ynash yomon emas, Android uchun apk to’g’ridan-to’g’ri yuklab olinadi, brauzer versiyasi ham yomon emas. Support chatda ruschada 10 daqiqada javob berdi, o’zbek tilida bo’lsa har safar chiqmadi — mana shu tomoni biroz cho’ktiradi. Litsenziyasi Curacao, ya’ni O’zbekistonda hammasi o’z mas’uliyatingizda — shuni hisobga oling. Men oyiga budjet belgilab qo’yaman va undan chiqmaslikka harakat qilaman.
Gram tu od jakichs pol roku, wiec chyba mam prawo cos napisac. Zapisalem sie przez znajomego z pracy, szczerze mowiac bez entuzjazmu. To co uderza na starcie to liczba gierek — gdzies 6 tysiecy automatow, liczba robi wrazenie, ale realnie czlowiek i tak siedzi na trzech ulubionych.
Nic odkrywczego: Gates of Olympus oraz Sweet Bonanza, no i Pragmatic. Jest tez NetEnt oraz Play’n GO, wiec pod tym wzgledem sa normalni. Aviator tez maja, ja osobiscie do tego nie przekonalem. W dziale live obsluguje Evolution — Crazy Time jest po angielsku, polskich stolow nie widzialem, i to troche boli.
Powitalny to 100% do okolo 1500 zl i do tego paczka free spinow, dawkowane po kolei. Warunek obrotu wynosi x40, standardowo, czyli nie ma cudow — ja pierwszy raz nie doczytalem i przepadlo. Czasem wpada cos bez depozytu za sama rejestracje, ale to rotuje — to co akurat leci sprawdzisz na [url=https://888starz-casino20.pl/no-deposit-bonus]888starz casino no deposit bonus[/url] jesli ci zalezy.
Z wyplatami to dla mnie plus. Blikiem przelew wchodzi od reki, prog wejscia to jakies 20-25 zl. Wyplacalem na e-portfel i schodzilo jakies dwie godziny, przelew na karte potrafi trzymac dobe-dwie. Weryfikacja niestety byla upierdliwa — dowod wrzucalem dwa razy, support na czacie jest po polsku i ogarnia, ale gadasz troche z automatem.
Apka na Androida dziala i chodzi lepiej niz przegladarka, z tym ze sciagasz apk ze strony, co dla wielu jest czerwona lampka. Pod iOS jest przez TestFlight. Formalnie Curacao, czyli to nie jest licencjonowany operator w PL i kwestie podatku kazdy musi ogarnac na wlasna reke. Dla czesci to dyskwalifikuje — ja tylko pisze jak jest. Ogolnie siedze dalej, na spokojnie.