Officials of the Catawba Indian Nation recently announced the tribe has closed its bingo operation in Rock Hill, South Carolina due to “historical sluggish summer sales,” “high gross sales tax rates” and competition from the South Carolina and North Carolina lotteries. Chief Bill Harris said, “It was a sad moment to have to close, but it was strictly a business move.. We kept waiting for the numbers to change but the numbers never did give us what we were looking for. The Nation did our best to keep the hall open.”
Harris said the move came after nearly six months of discussions with the tribe’s economic development and other leaders. He stated although the bingo operation had a loyal customer base, it was not attracting new players.
Harris added the tribe is assessing “its two licenses to explore other options in smaller facilities in South Carolina. We will continue to look for different avenues for economic development.”
Harris noted South Carolina House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford has proposed a measure that would allow casinos in the state. “If they do take the path of having resorts in South Carolina, then that opens the door for Catawba to have a resort on this reservation,” Harris said.
Opened in 2014, the bingo hall was the tribe’s second. An earlier operation opened in 1997 and closed in 2006. Catawba Bingo served more than 150,000 customers, generated more than $15 million in sales and netted $1.5 million to the state. Under South Carolina law, the tribe paid 10 percent of the face value of bingo paper to the state and set aside at least 50 percent of gross sales for prizes with the remaining money covering operations and salaries.
Before expenses, the tribe had $2.5 million in gross revenue from bingo operations in 2014, $5.4 million in 2015 and $4 million as of December 29, 2016, according to the South Carolina Department of Revenue. After expenses, the tribe reported a loss of more than $200,000 from bingo operations in 2014 and more than $700,000 in 2015, according to the South Carolina Secretary of State Public Charities Division.
