Best Betting Sites in South Carolina — Legal Limbos & Future Plans
Looking for the best betting sites South Carolina has to offer? Situated snugly in the midst of the Bible Belt, South Carolina is one of the most restrictive states we’ve ever encountered when it comes to gambling laws. As it stands, South Carolina does not allow casinos or sports betting.
The state of South Carolina has consistently thwarted the aspirations of these tribal groups and sportsbook operators to establish a legal sport betting industry in the state. While there are now no South Carolina betting sites, we will examine the reasons for this shortage and what the future holds in terms of legalization.
The first thing to note is that we only recommend licensed and respected sites for each state, so you’re always in good hands. Let’s get started, shall we?
What Betting Options are Legal for South Carolina Residents?
The gambling rules of South Carolina are among the most prohibitive in the United States. South Carolina may be one of the most restrictive states in the United States for a gambler to reside in, apart from maybe Utah.
In the conventional sense, there are no real legal options for mainstream gambling. The state lottery and Daily Fantasy Sports activities are open to residents. However, we’d wager that the lion’s share of Americans would consider these gambling types pretty lightweight compared to poker rooms, slot machines, or opulent casinos.
As you’ll learn from this article, South Carolina online sports betting is similarly shunned in its many shapes and sizes by state legislators. In the coming sections, we’ll get to the heart of what makes South Carolina such an iconoclast when it comes to the cherished American hobby of gambling.
Legal Daily Fantasy Sports in South Carolina
The general disagreement from state to state on whether daily fantasy is genuinely a form of gambling or not means that, for the most part, gamers can continue to play daily fantasy sports (DFS) until legislation officially prohibiting it is adopted.
That is the case in South Carolina, where a planned measure to legalize Daily Fantasy Sports in 2018 has yet to be introduced and enacted. The measure would have to be voted on and then signed by the governor, thus, for the time being, South Carolina’s daily fantasy options exist in the gray area between being legal and not.
However, for players, this means they can continue to use popular services and South Carolina sports betting apps such as Draftkings and FanDuel without concern. As always, of course, we’ll keep you updated.
Offshore Betting Sites — Don’t Get Scammed!
Although online casinos are becoming increasingly popular around the United States, online operators are having a difficult time breaking into South Carolina’s borders. There are no online casinos that can legally provide betting coverage to citizens of South Carolina.
Therefore, it would South Carolina sports gamblers currently have no choice but to use offshore betting sites like MyBookie, Bovada, or BetOnline. Unregulated offshore bookmakers are unsafe places to bet are platforms that we whole-heartedly recommend you avoid.
It may be tempting for desperate South Carolinians to entertain notions about placing bets on offshore sites – but proceed with caution. If you bet at unregistered bookmakers, your funds and financial data are not secure, and there are no guarantees that your winning bets will be paid out.
Furthermore, if you are detected, you may face legal consequences. Despite the fact that you are quite unlikely to face legal action, state officials have fined unfortunate gamblers in the past. For all of these reasons combined, we advise you to never take unwarranted risks with your hard-earned money.
Land-based Casinos: Illegal
South Carolina does not permit any form of casino gambling. As well as no traditional casinos, there are no tribal casinos in the state. In addition, there are no legal online casinos in South Carolina due to the state’s staunch opposition to online gaming.
For South Carolina residents, one option is to play aboard the infamous Big M Casino cruise ship, as the casino ship sails to international waters to circumvent state gambling laws. We say infamous, as the Big M cruise ship and the SC state government, had a lengthy legal battle over its right to exist.
In 2006, the Catawba Tribe filed a lawsuit against the state to establish a tribal casino. According to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, tribes have the ability to negotiate casino gambling.
After initial success, the South Carolina’s Supreme Court overturned lower court rulings in favor of the state and denied the tribe’s appeal. As often seems to be the case in South Carolina, bills that seek to legalize and modernize gambling, are invariably defeated.
Racetrack Betting: Illegal
Although betting on the horse races is technically illegal in South Carolina, the races themselves still take place and tracks can be found within the state. This is because horse racing in South Carolina is purely a spectator sport. You can watch, but you can’t bet on the outcome. Even pari-mutuel betting is outlawed by state gambling laws.
Furthermore, as online betting and South Carolina sportsbooks are outlawed, players are also unable to bet on pari-mutuel and simulcast races. As you can surmise, this puritan attitude is in keeping with the state’s inherent aversion to all things gambling-related.
For devoted horse racing enthusiasts, there are two options: travel to another state to participate in horse racing festivities, or wait until the state constitution is amended and horse racing becomes permitted.
Despite it remaining a popular industry across other legal US betting states, and despite its potential to generate tax revenue for the state, it seems that South Carolina is resistant to legalizing racetrack betting soon. As the saying goes, you can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
Poker or Card Rooms: Illegal
Surprise, surprise. Poker betting is outlawed in South Carolina just like every other type of conventional casino gambling. Even if no money exchanges hands, it is against the law to play poker or cards socially in this state, physically or virtually.
As such, there are also no online poker sites in South Carolina, and there is no method to play the game in the state of South Carolina itself. In the event that anything changes in the future rest assured that we will be sure to update this page accordingly.
Closest States with Legal Online Sports Betting
Although South Carolina online sports betting isn’t possible, when there’s a will, there’s a way. While most people in the continental United States can travel to a nearby state to place sports wagers online, South Carolina’s position within the famous Bible Belt makes it more difficult.
Although its internet sports betting market is still in its infancy, neighboring North Carolina does offer retail sports betting. Bets on both college-level and professional sports are permitted in North Carolina, but all bets must be placed in person at one of two retail locations.
Given the state’s peculiar geographic position, it may be more convenient to travel to Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, or Delaware rather than the states directly surrounding it. While a little further away, Pennsylvania has also permitted legal sports betting, both online and off, since 2018. In a similar vein, Delaware also offers expanded sports wagering options either at a casino or online.
Remember that online sports betting is supposed to be fun. If you or someone you know is struggling, the National Council on Problem Gambling is here to help.
Best Betting Sites in South Carolina — The Situation Might Change
It should be obvious to anyone who has been here before that we strongly advise that you only ever wager with legit and licensed websites. Since there are currently no sportsbooks in South Carolina where citizens can wager, even making the effort to travel to a state where online sports betting is legal protects you more than gambling with offshore accounts.
If online sports betting is someday legalized then the best betting sites South Carolina residents could wager at would have to be safe and secure. this would mean an independent, regulatory body would have to be created to oversee all gambling activities, grant licenses, and protect players from scams and fraud.
Although, it’s clear to see, given South Carolina’s close ties with religion, why it hasn’t made the moves to legalize sports betting. There is a strong argument that swayed many conservative states before towards legalizing sportsbooks; tax revenue. If South Carolina were to launch its own sportsbooks, the state could generate millions of tax dollars every year in gross gaming revenue.
If sports betting was legal in South Carolina, you would probably be able to bet on the NFL or MLB. If you’d like to know more about it, check out our guide to NFL betting and our top tips on MLB betting. For now, however, the best betting sites in South Carolina remain illegal.
South Carolina Gambling Laws
The gambling rules of South Carolina are among the most stringent in the United States. In the classic sense, there are no legal forms of gambling, aside from the state lottery and daily fantasy sports activities that are open to residents. For these two legal gambling avenues, the minimum legal gambling age is 18 years of age.
South Carolinians, for example, cannot wager at state-licensed sportsbooks, and South Carolina betting sites are strictly prohibited in the state. However, because of the existing legal ambiguity, many residents participate in Daily Fantasy Sports and draft lineups. There are sportsbooks only in other parts of the country if you want to bet on the most recent leagues and matches.
There are no tribal casinos in South Carolina. Many classic table and card games, as well as slot machines, are similarly prohibited. Gamblers will have to travel to a legalized state for the foreseeable future to find legal gambling choices.
To reiterate, even if an online casino or poker room is accessible from outside of South Carolina, it is still illegal to gamble online in the state, and players can receive fines and potential legal action if they get caught.
For a better overview of exactly where each gambling type sits in the eyes of the law, check out our graphic below:
| Betting Type | Law |
|---|---|
| Sports Betting | Not Legal |
| Online Sports Betting | Not Legal |
| Land-based Casino | Not Legal |
| Online Casino | Not Legal |
| Poker | Not Legal |
| Racetrack Betting | Not Legal |
| South Carolina Gambling Age | 18+ for Lotto and DFS |
For readers that are curious about the state lottery, it is known as the South Carolina Education Lottery in South Carolina, and it was first implemented there in 2002. There are three types of lottery games: Pick 3, Pick 4, and scratch. Like DFS, players must be at least 18 years old to participate.
Legal internet sports betting in South Carolina may not be available for quick some time. In order for sports betting to be legal in the Palmetto State, a major shift in public opinion is needed. Meanwhile, residents of South Carolina can only place sports bets through DFS or when they are not in their home region within the state’s borders. If you’d like to know more, check out our guide to online betting in the US.
History of Gambling in South Carolina
Since it first became a state in 1788, South Carolina has always taken a severe ‘fire and brimstone’ approach towards gambling, viewing it as a vice best avoided. The eternal struggles between purity and modernity have played out on the battlefield of betting laws in a number of intriguing ways. The controversy surrounding the Big M casino cruise ship is one such example.
Bizarrely, Section 16-19-70 of the South Carolina gambling laws, expressed forbids “keeping gaming tables open or playing games on the Sabbath.” While this might seem strange or old-fashioned, it’s important to point out as it highlights perfectly the inextricable links between church and state in South Carolina.
With this in mind, let’s take a look into the past to discover key moments in South Carolina gambling law history and the ramifications that they have for the legal betting markets of the present.
Gambling regulations in South Carolina have seen significant changes throughout the years, and you’re probably wondering what that means for sports betting. As of this writing, the Palmetto State appears to have taken its first and seemingly last step toward permitting online sports betting with the prospective legalization of Daily Fantasy Sports in 2018.
At the time of writing, there has been no news on when Daily Fantasy Sports gambling websites in South Carolina will be legalized, or when other betting forms like horse races or casinos will follow suit. This impasse is largely due to its conflict with the interests of religious conservative groups and lawmakers.
The Future of Online Sports Betting in South Carolina
While the situation in South Carolina might look a little bleak for fervent gamblers in the Palmetto State, we here at Best Betting Sites consider ourselves optimists. Given that multiple bills for legalizing sports betting have been brought to the floor in recent years, we’re confident that the future looks brighter than it did before.
While it might take some time, everyone knows that money talks in America. Given the tremendous potential to bring in tax revenue, and given its massive potential for profits that would make tribal groups, major league franchises, and top-tier sportsbooks very happy, it’s only a matter of time before South Carolina subsides to the tide and joins in the fun of online sports betting.
However, only players from legal sports betting states, or South Carolina residents that are willing to travel will be able to take part in the action for the time being. Rest assured, we’ll be here to bring you the best betting sites North Carolina residents can enjoy if and when they arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
While we seek to cover as much ground as possible, it’s entirely possible that you might still have some unanswered questions. Should this be the case, don’t hesitate to reach out to us anytime at contact@bestbettingsites.com and we’ll do our best to help.
For now, we’d like to point you to the most frequently asked questions from readers regarding the complex gambling laws of South Carolina. Best of luck!
⚖️ Are online gambling and sports betting legal in South Carolina?
No. Due to it having some of the most stringent anti-gambling laws in the US, all forms of online gambling and sports betting are prohibited completely in South Carolina. Attempts to legalize online betting have not been without their fair share of controversies. If you'd like to know more, check out our detailed breakdown of online sports betting in SC.
🛡️ What is the legal gambling age in South Carolina?
In South Carolina, the legal gambling age is now a minimum of 18 years old. While the gambling age in other jurisdictions revolves around individual betting activity, gaming options in the Palmetto State are severely limited. If you'd like to know more, check out our guide to South Carolina gambling laws.
🚨 Are offshore betting sites legal for US players?
There is currently no registration or regulation of off-shore sites like MyBookie or Bovda. Don't put your faith in unregulated betting services because they provide no assurances of fairness or player protections. We recommend that you stay well away from them for this reason alone. Please check out our breakdown of all the risks involved in off-shore betting.
🔎 Can I use VPN to play at online sportsbooks from other states?
Definitely not. South Carolina has some of the strictest gambling restrictions in the USA due to its position in the Bible Belt region. A safe solution is to check out which neighboring states allow online sports betting and travel there.