‘A game-changer’: New bill could bring first casino to Palmetto state
SANTEE, S.C. (WIS) - If a newly filed legislation is ed, South Carolinians will not have to leave the state to visit a casino.
If the bill becomes a law, a $1 billion casino project could move forward in Orangeburg County.
The location for the proposed development would sit at the former Santee outlet shopping center, which closed more than 10 years ago and is abandoned just off the I-95 corridor.
The bill is called the I-95 Economic and Education Stimulus Act, which would allow three counties within the Palmetto state — Orangeburg, Dillion, and Marlboro — the ability to build casino resorts.
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“I think that if we had more of an economic boost in Santee, the pay would go up, people would be happier and more areas would get the funding that they need,” said Nikole Willis one homeowner who lives by the proposed development site.
The site used to be home to thousands of shoppers looking for bargains.
The site could be home to millions testing their luck at another form of legal gambling to be approved in South Carolina.
“It could really, really be a game-changer,” said house representative Chris Murphy.
Murphy is the lead sponsor of the I-95 Economic and Education Stimulus Act. Hargues the corridor needs an economic boost, hence the chosen location for the project.
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“You would draw a lot of people that right now, that don’t have economic opportunities, don’t have job opportunities in their own counties, but it would be a central point for them,” said Murphy. “I have all the confidence in the world that this would be a game changer for this area”.
Murphy said Orangeburg County is considered a tier four county meaning it lacks economic opportunity, a reason some homeowners argue this development could benefit the area.
WIS spoke with several travelers and homeowners near the development to hear what they had to say about the bill and the proposed project.
Nikole Willis said she just recently traveled to North Carolina for a casino trip, and said despite her approval of the project, many of her own neighbors are against it.
“I know there are a lot of people that are against it because its growth and its development but we are never going to grow if we don’t accept these new things”, said Willis.
A spokesperson with the Santee Development Corporation said the casino and resort could bring in nearly 5,000 jobs and a $75 million-dollar annual tax revenue. They expect over four million annual visitors including travelers from out of state.
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