Two firms make bids to run S.C. lotto.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

COLUMBIA, S.C. _ Two companies have bid to run the S.C. lottery's most high-profile games, but a third firm bowed out over fears that the Jan. 7 deadline to launch the lottery is unrealistic.

The two companies _ Rhode Island-based GTECH, and Scientific Games of Atlanta _ met Wednesday's deadline for submitting bids to create and operate South Carolina's lotto and numbers games, the contests that feature the largest jackpots.

Automated Wagering International of Alpharetta, Ga., did not submit a proposal.

"We have a standard for the amount of time to do the work and the standard is just not there in South Carolina," said Pat Traub, director of …