In South Carolina, the Palmetto Forum for Gaming Studies recently hosted the first of several statewide meetings to see where the public stands on the idea of casino gambling. South Carolina is one of just nine states without a commercial or tribal casino; gambling only is offered through the Education Lottery and casino boats in the Little River. Legalizing other forms of gambling would require a constitutional amendment.
The group is was founded by Dr. Jim Rex, the 16th state superintendent of education, and Converse Chellis, a former state treasurer and member of the South Carolina General Assembly. They said the group is “committed to examining, in an objective way, any advantages or disadvantages of having gaming in South Carolina.”
Chellis stated, “As a former state representative, I understand how the legislative process works, and as state treasurer I have seen the need for additional revenue streams. I’m not in favor of increase the tax burden on our citizens. It’s time to be more creative.”
Rex added, “Like everybody else in the state, I’ve also been hitting potholes for the last 15 years and I’ve seen our infrastructure and road needs not be addressed. Most politicians don’t want to talk about raising taxes. So either we live with those inadequacies or we start getting creative about other ways to find other revenue streams.” Rex and Chellis believe earmarking casino tax revenue for infrastructure would increase public support.
Supporters of casino gambling include state Rep. Todd Rutherford. He said it would provide the state with additional revenue and, if positioned appropriately, would not detract from South Carolina’s family friendly atmosphere, which attracts millions of visitors who spend $20 billion annually. He called the results of a 2017 Winthrop Poll that found 68 percent of state resident support legalizing casinos to pay for state road repair “earth shattering.”
Opponents include state Rep. Kirkman Finlay, who said, “We’re creating the ability for people to lose money in ways that they probably shouldn’t anyway. Generating tax dollars is not a moral imperative to do other things that you wouldn’t normally do.” North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley noted, “We have spent years and millions of dollars marketing our community, our beaches, as family friendly, safe beaches. Casinos would change the marketing completely. I don’t know if the city of North Myrtle Beach is ready to go that way.”
