Currently, it seems as though sports betting legislation has passed South Carolina by. Indeed, South Carolina sports betting seems to be completely off the radar of state legislators right now. There has been no attempt to legalize South Carolina sports betting since the failed efforts of 2019.
There was one effort, which was a joint effort between the Senate and the House that would legalize all forms of commercial gambling – including not just casinos but also South Carolina sports betting. Another joint attempt to legalize sports betting would have created a commission that would study sports gambling and what benefits it might bring to the state.
However, both of these attempts failed after just one reading at their committees.
Will Online Sports Betting Ever Launch in South Carolina?
Judging by where it is now, it doesn’t look as though online sports betting will be coming to South Carolina any time soon – and it might be quite some time before the best sports betting sites take their place in the state.
It is a requirement for online sports betting to be legislated at state level. However, there is still barely any discussion on sports betting in South Carolina and there seems to be no real hunger for it.
Even the joint effort in 2019 to legalize commercial gambling didn’t specifically mention the introduction of online gambling – so, for now, it seems as though online sports betting sites are not on the agenda.
Legal Betting Options in South Carolina
As it stands, there aren’t any legal sports betting options in South Carolina.
On the other hand, there are plenty of betting websites that claim to accept sports bets from players located anywhere in the US. It needs to be noted that these sports betting sites aren’t licensed to operate anywhere within the US. Any regulated gambling site needs to be regulated and licensed at local, state level.
If someone places a wager at these types of sites then they are at some risk as there is absolutely no customer protection available for anyone who bets at an unlicensed betting site.
This means that if one of these offshore sportsbooks choose not to pay out your winnings – or close down their operations without returning your money, then you have no legal recourse.
In terms of legal and licensed options, there are none for those inside the state borders of South Carolina.
It is believed that Harrah’s Cherokee Casino in North Carolina will be opening up its sports betting operations eventually, but even this is around 200 miles from the state capital of Columbia.
In terms of travel, the closest state that offers mobile sports betting is Tennessee, and you would need to make that journey in order to legally enjoy sports betting online.
Potentially the Most Popular sport to Bet on in South Carolina
If the state was ever to legalize sports betting, then given the success of its SEC football team, betting on college football will always be popular.
However, if and when it is legalized, whether or not these laws would allow for betting on the in-state college teams is not clear. Some states allow it, whilst others, such as Virginia and New Jersey, don’t.
As such, this would mean that anyone who did want to bet on in-state college teams, even if sports betting was legalized, would still need to use an offshore betting site.
Other options – that most certainly would be legalized are sports such as NASCAR, UFC and, of course, professional major league sports.
What Teams Can I Bet On in South Carolina?
Unfortunately, South Carolina doesn’t have any major professional sports leagues of its own. However, it is super enthusiastic about its college sports teams.
College Sports Teams
The two main college teams in South Carolina that would attract the most attention are the Clemson Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks. Recently, Clemson has enjoyed a winning history, enjoying very favorable odds with all the top sports betting sites recently.
Moreover, punters that enjoy betting on the March Madness Tournament would have come up trumps in 2017 had they bet on the Gamecock men’s basketball team reaching the Final Four.
Professional Sports Teams
There are no professional South Carolina sports teams. As such, people that reside in South Carolina tend to bet on the teams located in North Carolina. The NFL’s Carolina Panthers, the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes are popular. Those who enjoy NBA betting can also follow the Charlotte Hornets.
The biggest professional sport to follow in South Carolina is NASCAR, which is headquartered in North Carolina. The state boasts legendary drivers including David Pearson and Bobby Allison – and is home to Darlington Speedway, the ‘Track too Tough to Tame.’
The most popular sports teams for South Carolina residents:
- NFL – Carolina Panthers (N. Carolina)
- NBA – Charlotte Hornets (N. Carolina)
- NHL – Carolina Hurricanes (N. Carolina)
- NASCAR
- NCAA – Clemson Tigers
- NCAA – South Carolina State Bulldogs
- NCAA – South Carolina Gamecocks.
NFL Betting In South Carolina
The most popular sports to wager on in the US is NFL – and this would likely be the case in South Carolina as well. However, although there is no state team, they would likely follow North Carolina’s team, the Carolina Panthers. However, people would also be able to make other types of bets such as futures, props bets and more.
However, South Carolina betting isn’t an option right now, with no regulated online sportsbooks available to potential customers. The only way to find NFL futures odds etc would be at an unregulated offshore sportsbook. For now, betting on any NFL team is not possible at any legal online sportsbooks in the state.
Closest Sportsbooks To South Carolina
If you live in South Carolina and want to bet on sports, your options are limited – no matter where you live. If you do want to bet legally at a physical sportsbook then you would need to do a little travelling. The closest options would either be heading west to Mississippi or else following the Appalachian Trail up to either North Carolina, Virginia or Tennessee.
These are the closest states with legalized sports betting and all have regulated sports betting industries that offer all different types of legal sports betting options. Many also are located near (or are even attached to) hotels, which means you can make a getaway of it.
There may be a time when there will be these opportunities with South Carolina itself – possibly in cities such as:
- Charleston
- Columbia
- North Charleston
- Mount Pleasant
Daily Fantasy Sports In South Carolina
Daily Fantasy Sports contests in South Carolina is very much a gray area. This means that officially it isn’t illegal – but it also isn’t regulated or taxed by the state gaming commission.
The biggest DFS sites will accept players from within South Carolina state borders including FanDuel, DraftKings and Yahoo.
Horse Racing Betting in South Carolina?
Apart from a few events, horse racing hasn’t been made legal in South Carolina – and neither is pari-mutuel betting on horse races taking place outside of the state,
South Carolina has also not legalized betting on any advance deposit wagering site that would allow bettors to make wagers in horse races from their mobiles or computers.
South Carolina Sports Betting Timeline
There have been a few attempts to push forward with sports betting bills in South Carolina, but all have made little progress. In fact, legislators even began filing sports betting bills even before the Supreme Court repealed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018. However, this has gone nowhere yet.
2017-2018
Bill HB 3102 was filed in 2017 and would have allowed all sorts of gambling – sports betting, horse racing gambling and even casino. It was read and then referred on to House Committees, however, that was where it stalled.
2019-2020
There were a few more attempts: HB 340 was read and referred to the House Committee. Then, copying the bill that was filed in 2017, bill SB 57 was replicated in the Senate. However, the two bills endured the same results as previous attempts, and both failed to even get a second reading.
Following this, SB 71 was also thrown into the mix that year, an attempt to study sports betting. This bill would have created a committee that would study gambling to look at its benefits, staffing requirements, and the responsibility required to establish a new gambling industry. This went the same way as the others.
2021-2022
There had been the exact same measures filed in the 2021-22 season, almost identical to previous bills. However, nothing happened post January 2021 – where it remained in the House Committee. It comes as no surprise that nothing further happened and it seems that getting any sports betting bill to even a second reading is almost impossible.
South Carolina Sports betting FAQ
Is Sports Betting Legal in South Carolina?
No, as it stands, sports betting in South Carolina is not legal. Legislators have failed to pass any gambling laws right now.
Where Can I Bet on Sports?
Legalized sports gambling is not available in South Carolina right now. Regulating sports betting seems to be many years in the future. Bettors would need to travel out of state.
Can I Bet on My Phone in South Carolina?
There aren’t any legal options to bet on sports using your mobile phone in South Carolina right now.
There are plenty of sports betting sites and apps that claim to accept wagers from people living in South Carolina but these are unlicensed and unregulated.
All US sports betting sites are required to be licensed by the state and not at federal level – as such there are no online sports betting sites offering sports bets to anyone in South Carolina.
It is very risky to deposit money and make bets on these operations as there is no customer protection. It could refuse to pay out winnings or close without returning your money. So, until online legalized sports betting is available, we would not recommend it.
