Tuesday, January 16, 2007

The Catawba Indian Nation will argue before the state's high court on
Wednesday that its 13-year-old land settlement with the state allows it to
offer video gambling on its York County reservation. The tribe won in a
lower court, but the state is appealing. The state outlawed video gambling
years ago and does not want to see the tribe bring it back. The tribe's
lawyer, Jay Bender, says the tribe doesn't actually want to run a video
gambling operation. It would rather open a high-stakes bingo game near
Interstate 95 in Orangeburg County. A favorable ruling in the video gambling
case would give the Catawbas leverage in getting lawmakers to let them open
the bingo parlor. Opponents, however, worry that allowing a bingo operation
in Orangeburg would open the door to more high-stakes bingo locations
elsewhere in the state.