Saturday, January 20, 2007

The state Supreme Court will hear arguments this morning on whether the
Catawba Indian Nation's land settlement with the state allows it to offer
video gambling on its York County reservation. A lower court ruled in favor
of the tribe, but the state is appealing. The Catawbas say their 1993 land
deal allows video gambling, despite South Carolina outlawing it years ago.
The Catawbas don't necessarily want video gambling. The tribe is considering
using the right to offer the games as a bargaining chip to get lawmakers to
let them build a high stakes bingo parlor near Santee on Interstate 95.
Critics say allowing bingo in Orangeburg County would open the door to more
high-stakes bingo locations in the state. The tribe says the operation would
generate more than 18-hundred jobs.