Investment group wants to build SC’s 1st casino

HARDEEVILLE, S.C. (AP) — An investment group that wants build the state’s first casino near Hardeeville is already meeting resistance from Gov. Nikki Haley’s office.

The Island Packet of Hilton Head reported (http://bit.ly/A5Ia34) that the Cherokee Indians would own the project, which would include a 400-room luxury hotel, dining, an events center and access to a golf course. The United Keetoowa Band of the Cherokee Indians in Tahlequah, Okla., would own it.

A consulting firm says the casino would employ 2,250 and create $92 million in wages, salaries and benefits in job-poor Jasper County.

The casino would require approval from Haley and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs. Spokesman Rob Godfrey says Haley has no intention of agreeing to a deal that would allow casino gambling.

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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com