At a press conference held Sept. 24 at the State House in Columbia, government and religious leaders responded to the efforts of the Catawba Indian tribe to open a large high-stakes bingo operation along I-95 in Santee under a more flexible federal gaming law.

The Catawba Indian tribe seeks to rescind a 1993 agreement – approved by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor – with the state of South Carolina allowing it to govern gambling on and off the tribal reservation and enforce prize payouts.  The tribe now seeks to be governed under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which would expand the kinds of games and gaming devices used on the reservation.

Joe Mack, director of the Office of Public Policy, South Carolina Baptist Convention, said South Carolina Baptists are “concerned” about efforts to rescind the state’s agreement with the Catawba tribe, and for the social and economic implications of this for families in the state. 

“Devices used in playing bingo look like slot machines – we remember what video poker did to us here in this state,” Mack said.

In an open letter to the media, Rev. Hal Lane, convention president and pastor of West Side Church in Greenville, said allowing this federal transfer would “effectively authorize casino gambling in South Carolina.”  Such an expansion would guarantee more gambling addictions, bankruptcies and destruction of families in a “culture of greed,” he said.

Rev. Tim Rogers, chairman of the South Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church gambling task force, said gambling is a menace to society.  He said the Methodist denomination encourages the Catawba tribe to “find other economic means and methods that do not include gambling,” and calls on leaders to work with the tribe in developing effective solutions for health care, education, housing and economic development problems.

State Representative Bill Cotty said at issue is the local state’s rights and the power of control.  He believes the local government should make these decisions.  “It’s as if the Catawba tribe is now saying ‘what’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is negotiable,’” he said.

Senators Danny Verdin, Warren Geise and Jim Ritchie were present, along with Representatives Ralph Davenport, Dwight Loftis and Roland Smith.  Other state leaders were represented with statements including House Speaker David Wilkins and Senator Wes Hayes.