Report: South Carolina Tribe Can Operate Video Poker

SOUTH CAROLINA – As reported by the Charleston Post & Courier: "A report from a Senate committee says the Catawba Indian Nation has the right to operate video poker and suggests the state General Assembly may have violated the state's contract with the tribe.

"S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster said Monday that if the Catawbas were to take their case to federal court, it could lead to the return of video poker in South Carolina, at least on tribal land.

"The Senate Judiciary Committee opinion, requested by Orangeburg Sen. Brad Hutto, says the state is constitutionally barred from changing the conditions of its 1993 agreement with the Catawbas. That agreement allows the Catawbas to operate two bingo halls in the state. Even though video poker was outlawed in 1999, the Judiciary report says the contract is subject to the state's laws at the time of the agreement.

"The Catawbas, who operate a bingo hall in Rock Hill, want to open a higher-stakes, computerized bingo hall off I-95 in Santee…"