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South Carolina

South Carolina Sports Betting

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South Carolina sports betting is not available as of the beginning of 2022, and it likely won’t be available at any point this year either.

South Carolina has some very restrictive laws when it comes to gambling, and that includes sports betting.

South Carolina Sports Betting

There have been some recent attempts to legalize South Carolina sports betting, but none of those bills were able to advance. South Carolina online sports betting could be an option, but there is still work to be done on that front as well.

South Carolina could potentially become a strong sports betting market, but there just hasn’t been enough support to get a bill passed. This could be one of the last states in the US to legalize sports betting. 

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South Carolina Sportsbooks

If South Carolina sports betting were to ever take off, then finding a spot for sportsbooks could be an interesting challenge. There are very strict gambling laws in place in this south eastern state, and that means that retail South Carolina casinos are not found.

South Carolina online sports betting could be launched with very little effort, and there would likely be plenty of interest from sports betting companies. Several states have started to explore online-only sports betting, and South Carolina could join the trend. 

If lawmakers are able to pass a gambling expansion bill, then that would open up new possibilities for SC sportsbooks. It’s unclear which will come first or if either of these bills will get enough support to get something done. 

SC Sports Betting Rules

Almost all of the recent bills that have been introduced focus on expanding gambling in the state, and there hasn’t been a ton of discussion about actual sports betting rules. SC sports betting will likely be driven by professional sports, but there will ultimately be a debate about collegiate sporting events as well. 

South Carolina is right in the middle of SEC country, and college basketball and college football are both extremely popular. There would be plenty of bets made on these markets if this were to be an option for sports bettors. 

Esports is another betting market that has gained popularity in recent years and could be offered in South Carolina. 

SC Sports Betting Regulations

2019 is the first time that lawmakers really started to explore SC sports betting, and a pair of bills were introduced that year. HJR 3409 and SJR 57 were both seeking to make an amendment to the South Carolina constitution to allow sports betting.

Both of the bills never made it out of committee and were actually read just one time. There was no action taken during 2020, but that has already changed in 2021. 

House Joint Resolution 3395 was pre-filed in December 2020, and it is an all-inclusive gambling expansion package. Sports betting is included, but casino gambling would likely be the first step.

This bill has not yet made it out of committee, and it might not ever do so. At least lawmakers are once again taking the first steps in attempting to legalize SC sports betting. 

SC Sports Betting Summary

Some bills have recently been introduced that would legalize SC sports betting, but those bills have failed to advance out of committee. The entire House and Senate have yet to even have a reading of any bill, which would make the chance of SC sports betting highly unlikely.

South Carolina lawmakers could face some pressure from neighboring states in the coming years, and that could eventually sway them to get something done. Residents of the state are in favor of SC sports betting, but the decision is not up to them at this time.

Expect continued attempts to legalize SC sports betting in the coming months, but it’s unlikely there is much traction anytime soon.