Why aren’t South Carolina lawmakers listening?
A month ago, we reported on promising polling data related to a transformative casino resort project slated for rural Santee, South Carolina.
As previously reported, plans are in the works to build a state-of-the-art, high-end casino development in this town of approximately 1,000 people located southwest of Lake Marion in Orangeburg County. This facility would include a 300,000- to 400,000-square-foot casino tethered to a 300- to 600-room luxury hotel and convention center on approximately forty acres near Interstate 95.
The brainchild of Greenville, S.C. businessman Wallace Cheves, the Santee project – which is not seeking taxpayer subsidies – would create several thousand jobs and generate an estimated $8 billion in new economic activity over its first decade of operation.
As Palmetto State lawmakers – who must approve the Santee deal – approach the end of their 2025 legislative session, polling for this project is looking better than ever. According to the results of a new survey released on Monday (May 5, 2025), 69% of South Carolina voters supported the Santee project – including 70% of Republican voters, 70% of MAGA voters and 59% of voters who attend church weekly.
All of those numbers are improved from the previous round of polling, incidentally…
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Conversely, only 23% of South Carolina voters opposed the project – including 24% of GOP voters, 23% of MAGA voters and 33% of weekly church-goers.
An underlying theme that transcended both supporters and opponents of the project was the notion that gambling is a personal choice – one in which government should not be interfering.
“Even 73% of voters who personally believe gambling is wrong also agree the decision to gamble should be a personal choice,” a memo from pollster Brice Kornegay noted.
All told, a whopping 90% of all voters – including 83% of those who attend church weekly – said they believed people should “get to decide for themselves if they want to gamble.”
Voters were twice as likely to support candidates who back the casino project – with 44% saying they would be more likely to back such candidates compared to 22% who said they would be less likely. That margin is nearly identical to the percentage of GOP voters (43%) more likely to support candidates who backed the project as opposed to those who said they would be less likely (22%).
BK Strategies’ survey was conducted between May 3-4, 2025. A total of 600 general election voters statewide were surveyed via a combination of landline and cell phone interviews. The margin of error of the survey is plus or minus 4%.
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OUR TAKE…
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This outlet has editorialized for years in favor of projects precisely like this one, repeatedly calling on South Carolina lawmakers to surrender their state-sponsored gambling monopoly – the so-called “education” lottery – and allow private sector casino developments to flourish within our borders.
As FITSNews editorialized nearly a decade ago, allowing casino gaming is “one way the Palmetto State could begin capitalizing on its competitive advantages as opposed to watching them wither on the vine.”
Accordingly, we believe this project – which is not seeking a dime of taxpayer revenue – should be allowed to move forward without opposition from the state.
Also of interest? The hypocrisy of so many of those opposing casinos on moral grounds…
We are particularly disappointed by the hypocrisy of several members of the S.C. Freedom Caucus who are currently opposing this project. Seriously… how can a group purporting to support “freedom” oppose a personal choice embraced by 90% of the state?
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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.
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