South Carolina Supreme court refuses to let operator turn machines back on

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The state Supreme Court has rejected a video gambling operator's last-minute reprieve, saying a retiring judge used "no facts" when issuing the stay on Friday.

The justices issued a scathing decision Thursday, questioning why Henry E. Ingram waited until the last day to appeal and saying that Ingram and his lawyers made no effort to tell state officials about the order.

Ingram said he wasn't surprised at the decision.

"If they had ruled for me, I would have died or fainted," Ingram said.

The ruling affects the order allowing Ingram to continue operating machines. His suit against Attorney General Charlie Condon and State Law Enforcement Chief Robert Stewart continues.

Condon praised the court's decision, saying operators are wasting taxpayer money and just need to get their machines out of the state.

Ingram, who filed his appeal the day before the court's decision, said the Supreme Court broke its own rules Friday when it decided to reject the reprieve without giving his lawyers time to argue.

The justices say they found out abut the order about three hours before the ban was to go into effect. Less than an hour later, the court issued a handwritten decision overturning the order.

Under those extraordinary circumstances, the justices said their actions were justified.

Justices also said Ingram forced them to rule so quickly because he waited so long to sue.

But Ingram said he was waiting to see what other operators were going to do. When no one stepped up by Friday, he said he sued to protect his property from an unjustified seizure.

"I don't dance to the tune of the Supreme Court," Ingram said. "I file things when I take the notion to."

Ingram said the justices' claims that he failed to notify Condon and Stewart about the reprieve was a "bald-faced lie," but he refused to elaborate.

Ingram, who owns more than 100 machines across the state, said he hasn't spoken to his lawyers, but plans to move his appeals to federal court if necessary.

On Wednesday, the lawyer for Westside Quick Shop of Greenville and Winners Pot of Gold Hot Spot of Hartsville said he is going to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the ban.

Stewart has ordered SLED agents to begin seizing machines that remain in the state on Saturday.

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