Advisory vote set on video gambling in S.C.

Page Ivey

Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003 | 9:37 a.m.

NEWBERRY, S.C. -- South Carolinians never got the chance to vote on video gambling. Now a special election will give voters an opportunity to voice their opinion.

The advisory referendum question will appear on the Feb. 25 Democratic primary ballot in Newberry County in the race to fill the state Senate seat vacated by Andre Bauer, who was elected lieutenant governor in November. The question, which would have no legal standing, asks whether voters would support the return of video gambling in order to help with the state's budget crisis.

Video gambling was outlawed more than two years ago.

Newberry County Democratic Party Chairman Clarence Shealy Jr. said Tuesday the idea for the referendum came after reading about the heavy response to signs posted around the state asking people to voice their support of video poker to the new governor.

"We thought we could use that to get interest in the primary," Shealy said. "If we can get participation in (the primary), we can handle the general election."

Democratic candidates on the ballot are Ronnie Abrams and Jim Lander, who held the seat from 1993-98 before leaving to become state comptroller general. Lander lost that post in November.

Shealy said he intentionally did not mention the idea to the candidates but sought the approval of his executive committee.

The question won't appear on any other counties' ballot in District 18, which encompasses all of Saluda and parts of Lexington and Union counties. In Lexington and Saluda, party leaders said their decision to leave the question off the ballot hinged on not saddling any potential Democratic nominee with the issue.

"We didn't want it to negatively affect the nominee," Lexington County Democratic Chairwoman Liz Potts said. "Video poker brings out really strong emotions for or against.

"I think it's a better question for a general election ballot than for a special election."

The state's video gambling industry was outlawed in July 2000.

The Legislature had approved a ban unless voters chose to keep legal cash payouts from the machines. That vote was ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court and the ban went into effect.

"The people never got the chance to vote on keeping video poker or doing away with it," Abrams said. "I'm for the voter having the right to decide on this as a way to ease the budget crunch."

He plans to vote yes on the referendum and said if elected senator he would push to have the issue of video gambling put before voters statewide.

Lander, who voted against video gambling while in the Senate, said he understands why party leaders wanted the question on the ballot but would rather have just the candidates.

"I don't know if it will generate that much interest or not," he said. "I'm not so sure there's a campaign one way or the other to pass or defeat the question. I'm not getting involved in that."

Roy Roberts, who operates three convenience stores in Newberry County, said he emptied his stores of video gambling about three years before the machines were outlawed.

"I thought they did a lot of harm," he said. "I got tired of seeing people come in and put all their money in."

Roberts said if video gambling did make a comeback, he likely would not put the machines in his store unless the state operated them like it does the lottery.

"The state should make the bulk of the money off of it," he said.

Former Charleston video gambling operator Warren Holliday said the vote might unnecessarily raise the hopes of people who once depended on video gambling income.

"Nothing is going to come of it," Holliday said. "I don't see any point in bringing it up again."