Developer Proposes $1 Billion Casino Resort to Transform Tiny South Carolina Town

A Greenville-born developer is proposing a privately funded $1 billion casino and resort in Santee, S.C., a town of fewer than 1,000 residents, saying the project could deliver significant tax revenue, thousands of jobs and economic growth along the state’s Interstate 95 corridor.

Santee Development Corporation, led by businessman Wallace Cheves, projects the resort would produce about $75 million a year in tax revenue, create more than 4,600 jobs and yield more than $400 million in labor income. The planned complex would include a casino, hotel, restaurants and entertainment venues and would be sited near the vacant Santee Outlet Mall just off I‑95, developers said. As of July, the corporation was filing permits to demolish the mall to clear the site for construction.

Supporters say the project would target an economically distressed stretch of the state that local officials and activists have called the "Corridor of Shame," pointing to persistent poverty and limited job opportunities in counties along I‑95. Orangeburg County administrator Harold M. Young told the Daily Mail the project would provide wages and jobs that do not require a college degree and could help residents who have left the area return to work. State representative Jerry N. Govan Jr. described the proposal as a "transformational opportunity" for the region.

Critics and some tribal leaders have resisted the plan. The Catawba Indian Nation said the proposal would undermine the tribe’s sovereignty and control over its gaming future. Chief Brian Harris said in a statement that the nation will not be used as a vehicle "for others' gain" and emphasized the tribe’s insistence that any gaming initiative be "owned, governed, and operated by the Tribe — for the Tribe."

Cheves is the developer behind the Catawba Two Kings Casino in Kings Mountain, N.C., a project his website calls his "most significant achievement." That earlier partnership with the Catawba Nation contrasts with the current disagreement over Santee, where tribal leaders say past financial ties to developers should not substitute for tribal ownership and oversight of gaming operations.

Any casino in Santee would require a change in state law. Gambling is largely banned in South Carolina; House Bill 4176, introduced in the state legislature, would establish a state gaming commission authorized to award county casino licenses if passed and signed by Gov. Henry McMaster. Supporters argue that state-regulated gaming would keep dollars in South Carolina that residents now spend across state lines and could be used for community priorities and treatment programs.

South Carolina currently allows the state lottery, which has generated nearly $9 billion to support education since it began in 2002. Proponents of the Santee plan compare the lottery’s contributions to potential casino revenue, saying gaming can be channeled to public benefit while creating local employment.

Local opinions are mixed. Jane Powell of the Santee Cooper Country tourist center told the Daily Mail that long-term residents often leave for jobs elsewhere and that the casino might provide opportunities that encourage some to stay. "You've got some people that say, 'We want Santee to stay just like it is,'" she said. "You've got other ones that are saying, 'If this is an opportunity to grow the area, I'm for it.'" Powell also pointed to the town’s winter golf tourism, noting that tens of thousands of visitors come to Santee for golf and outdoor recreation each year.

Project backers say the resort would be more than a gambling hall, aiming to blend gaming with outdoor recreation tied to nearby Lake Marion, including fishing, hunting and golf, and to market the development as a sportsman’s resort.

Opponents warn of potential social costs. Critics have raised concerns about increased problem gambling, crime and community disruption. The developers have said they would implement self-exclusion programs and partner with organizations that support individuals struggling with gambling addiction, but details of those programs and funding commitments have not been fully disclosed.

The proposal has also surfaced amid broader questions about the casino business nationally. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported a year-over-year decline of roughly 12% in visitors and revenue per available hotel room compared with the previous July. Some longtime Las Vegas patrons have described the city’s tourism and service levels as diminished, a point some analysts cite when weighing new casino investments and market demand.

What happens next depends on the legislative process and further local and tribal engagement. House Bill 4176 would have to clear the state legislature and receive the governor’s signature before a gaming commission could be formed and county licenses issued. Local officials say they plan to weigh economic forecasts, community input and regulatory safeguards; tribal leaders have signaled that they will continue to press for gaming initiatives that protect tribal sovereignty and ensure benefits for tribal citizens.

For Santee, a town in Orangeburg County where the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data shows more than 20% of residents live in poverty, the debate frames a broader question facing many rural communities: whether major commercial development can be a vehicle for economic revival and, if so, under what terms and controls. Developers and backers say the project could be "as transformative as BMW" was for other parts of South Carolina; opponents and some residents urge deliberation, demanding clear protections for sovereignty, community well‑being and public safety before any approvals are granted.