The Catawba Bingo hall of South Carolina has decided to cut its losses by cutting back significantly on its operating hours. According to tribe spokesmen, the hall will be closed Tuesdays through Fridays to help the bingo hall stay profitable, despite the overall reduced profitability of bingo in South Carolina.

The tribe says that since South Carolina introduced the education lottery, the bingo hall's earnings have dropped significantly. In 2001, Catawba Bingo saw net revenue of $2 million, while in 2004, revenues dropped to around $300,00 – 400,000. A representative for New River Management and Development, the company which oversees the Catawba Nation's developments, Chief Operating Officer Bobby Price said that the plan is to reduce daily expenses, particularly for days that bring in lower revenues.

Some claim that the tribe has shut down bingo in order to bolster their claim that the lottery's interference is significant enough to warrant allowing the tribe to institute video poker on the reservation.