Council voted unanimously Monday for the project, which is being questioned by Gov. Mark Sanford.

Hal Johnson, the county's economic development director, said a review of the numbers show the county should get a "4-to-1 impact on every dollar spent."

"It's the equivalent of several manufacturing firms coming in," Johnson said.

The bingo hall would make Santee more of a tourist destination, said Marion Moore with the county's Economic Development Partnership.

Bob Horger, former county attorney, said he's "very much in favor" of the facility because of the opportunities it would provide.

Santee businessman Cholly Clark said "nothing could be better for destination-type development than this."

All of the businesses in Santee would be grateful, Clark said.

But Liz O'Cain, an American Indian, opposes the hall, saying "our people for years have had problems with addictive personalities."

She also said other Indian tribes were ignored by the Catawbas.

"Please do the right thing and don't have a gambling facility in our county," she said.

The tribe wants to be placed under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Federal jurisdiction would remove the Santee site from some restrictions the tribe operates under at its bingo operation in Rock Hill.

Federal regulation would allow the tribe to open the hall more than 12 hours. They also could use bingo machines as well as traditional cards; "network" with bingo operations in other states; and offer jackpots above the $100,000 limit.

Sanford has said he opposes federal regulation of the site and wants the Catawbas' gambling operations to stick to the rules described in a 1993 agreement that allowed the tribe to operate two bingo halls in South Carolina.

"Our concern is that this legislation could be creating a federal loophole used to bring casino gambling to this state," Sanford's spokesman Chris Drummond said last week.

The tribe has said it is not seeking casino gambling.

Council Chairman John Rickenbacker said the county is having ongoing conversations with the Catawbas.

"In lieu of not paying taxes, they plan to be good neighbors and contribute money to the schools and the county," Rickenbacker said.

"This would be a tremendous economic development project. I hope the governor will give us a second look. This could be our little BMW," he said.

Rickenbacker emphasized that the resolution states "this is simply a bingo gaming facility. But we're not talking about gambling."

The tribe hopes to buy the Santee Outlet Mall and other land, totaling up to 100 acres for the bingo operation. Over the course of two years, an estimated 2,000 people could be employed in the construction and operation of the facility.

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