New Bill Could Bring First Casino to South Carolina

Posted on: March 19, 2025, 06:27h. 

Last updated on: March 21, 2025, 05:15h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • A new bill proposes a casino resort in one of three South Carolina counties
  • Santee project could generate 4,600 jobs and $75 million annually
  • Legalization requires a two-thirds vote and a statewide referendum

A new bill in South Carolina would legalize gaming and authorize the state’s first casino, possibly paving the way for a proposed $1 billion project in the small town of Santee.

South Carolina casino bill, Santee Casino, Wallace Cheves, Chris Murphy
A digital rendering of the proposed $1 billion casino in Cheves, a small rural town in central South Carolina. But there needs to be a lot of lifting in the legislature before it can become a reality. (Image: SDC)

The I-95 Economic and Education Stimulus Act would allow one of three South Carolina counties—Dillon, Marlboro, and Orangeburg, which surrounds Santee—to build a casino resort.

The bill’s supporters say casinos would bring a much-needed economic boost to rural and depressed areas along Interstate 95. In 2023, 41.9% of the children in Orangeburg County were living below the poverty line, according to Data USA.

“You would draw a lot of people that right now don’t have economic opportunities, don’t have job opportunities in their own counties, but it would be a central point for them,” State Rep. Chris Murphy (R-98th) told WIS10. “I have all the confidence in the world that this would be a game changer for this area.”

Santee Casino

The bill comes just days after real estate developer and GOP megadonor Wallace Cheves unveiled his vision for the Santee casino, which would be built on an abandoned shopping complex.

Cheves’ Santee Development Corporation (SDC) claims the project would generate 4,600 new jobs in South Carolina while attracting more than 4 million visitors each year and generating more than $75 million in annual tax revenue.

There’s no guarantee that the casino bill will be successful in South Carolina, where gambling laws are some of the strictest in the country and there are few opportunities to wager on anything beyond the state lottery.

The South Carolina legislature has a long history of opposing gambling, influenced by social and religious conservatism.

Catawba Thwarted

The state’s only federally recognized tribe, the Catawba Indian Nation, sought for decades to build a casino on its reservation in the north of the state, but was thwarted by political opposition.

Eventually, the tribe received permission from the federal government to build just across the border in North Carolina — the Two Kings Casino. They were aided in this endeavor by none other than Cheves, who helped finance the project for joint ownership. However, that relationship has soured.

An existing gambling bill, HB 4176, filed in December by Reps. Todd Rutherford (D-Richland) and Hamilton Grant (D-Richmond), would legalize slot machines and live dealer table games, as well as sports betting and parimutuel wagering. However, there has been no movement on that bill since mid-January.