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.
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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.”
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“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.
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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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