South Carolina’s Gambling Underworld Mixes Politics, Corruption

August 16, 2012

South Carolina’s Gambling Underworld Mixes Politics, Corruption

by Chad Hills

 

South Carolina’s history with gambling is not pretty. Nearly 33,000 video poker machines were shut down, banned and removed from South Carolina, back in 2000, due to a South Carolina Supreme Court legal decision that found the pro-video poker referendum to be unconstitutional “because the state does not provide for a ballot initiative in its constitution.”

Many families were glad to see the video poker machines go, as they had quickly become addictive and problematic.

Here we are in 2012, and video gambling machines are re-surfacing in South Carolina – this time under the cloak of “sweepstakes machines.”

Where do politics, gambling and corruption mix in South Carolina?

Former Mayor Bob Coble is now lobbying for Pace-O-Matic, a manufacturer of “sweepstakes machines” being used to reintroduce video gambling to South Carolina in “Internet Sweepstakes Cafes.” Richland County Councilman Damon Jeter, failed to disclose he’s on the payroll of sweepstakes promoter, Magic Minutes. Lexington Town Councilman Danny Frazier was caught red-handed, providing instructions on how to set up shop for illegal gambling machines. And the list grows …

Here are several news reports with more detail:

• Say It Ain’t So, Mayor Bob: Video Gambling’s New Payroll” [Free Times, City Watch, 6/13/12]
• Stacking the Deck: Politicians’ Ties Complicate Efforts to Stop Return of Video Poker [Free Times, 8/1/12]
• A River (of Sleaze) Runs Through It: Video Poker 2.0 [Free Times, 8/15/12]
• Key Figure In Alleged SC Gambling Ring Responds [FitsNews.com, 8/15/12]
• Audio recordings tie Lexington councilman to video poker business [WIS-TV, Channel 10, 8/15-16/12 ... reporting to be continued]

Meanwhile, a tragic commentary was playing out in the background of this illegal gambling fiasco. A federal court in Columbia sentenced a South Carolina woman to 2.5 years in prison for embezzling money nearly $400,000 from the South Carolina Hospitality Association to support her “decades-long addiction to gambling.”

As a result of the missing funds, according to a suicide note, the hospitality association’s director needlessly took his own life. Yet, one more poignant reminder how gambling addiction can negatively impact more than just the lives of gamblers.

Recent news of South Carolina’s gambling underworld reminds me of the political gambling-corruption debacle which unfolded in Alabama back in 2010.

What did Alabama’s politicians and officials learn?

Don’t touch gambling!

Dig Deeper …

• Don’t Touch that Thing! | CitizenLink
• Alabama Gambling Corruption; Gilley’s Can of Worms | CitizenLink
• Gambling and Crime Gambling and Organized Crime
• Gambling A Bigger Problem Than Alcohol Among U.S. Adults
• Quick Guide to Gambling Articles – CitizenLink

http://www.citizenlink.com/2012/08/16/south-carolinas-gambling-underworld-mixes-politics-corruption/