South Carolina Sports Betting Legislation on the Table

A House bill that would legalize sports betting in South Carolina has not gained much traction this session, but a virtually identical bill emanating from the Senate has now made an appearance.

Senate Sports Betting Bill Seeks Approval

South Carolina has yet to legalize sports betting in any form, retail or mobile, but it is not as though legislative measures haven’t been taken. Several attempts to bring sports betting to the South Carolina masses have failed, but hope springs eternal as House and Senate bills have been introduced in this session.

Representative Chris Murphy filed House Bill 3625, also known as the “South Carolina Sports Wagering Act,” in December in preparation for this session, which began on January 14th of this year. The bill taxes sportsbook revenues at 12.5% and calls for up to eight sports betting platforms, but five licensees currently active in at least five markets could apply for “immediate commencement of sports wagering operations through a temporary license.”

However, it has been mired in the abyss of the Ways and Means Committee since that time and has not gained traction. Murphy also introduced a bill that would allow casinos in the state; yet, that too has been stuck in legislative limbo.

Legislating the Spread

That inaction likely spurred Senator Tom Davis to sponsor Senate Bill 444, a bill strikingly similar to Murphy’s HB 3625. Davis’s bill would set the minimum age to wager on sports betting at 18 and allow the number of sportsbooks (8) in the state with temporary licenses issued to five that are active in five jurisdictions.

SB 444 also calls for:

• A 12.5% tax rate on sportsbook revenues.
• Licensees would pay a $100,000 application fee followed by a $1 million license fee.
• The formation of the South Carolina Sports Wagering Commission to govern the industry.

SB 444 has been referred to the Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee for further discussion.

South Carolinians Betting in Neighboring States

As with virtually all states without sports betting but having neighbors that have launched mobile sports wagering, South Carolinians are crossing state lines to make those bets. North Carolina was the most recent to launch mobile sports betting, and GeoComply reported the Palmetto State saw a 436.67% increase in accounts to 365,808 from last year.

And during the most recent NFL season, the company reported 7.7 million checks from those accounts. These logins are from residents who cannot make a bet in their own state but have sports betting accounts in neighboring states, allowing them to check point spreads and odds but prohibiting wagers until they are within that adjacent state’s borders.

“The remarkable year-over-year increase in active accounts from South Carolina is directly linked to North Carolina’s launch of statewide mobile sports betting in 2024,” a GeoComply post read. “This data point alone provides clear evidence of how legalized sports betting in one state can influence consumer behavior in neighboring states.”

The tipping point could happen when Georgia ultimately approves mobile sports betting, which would see those residents in the southern part of South Carolina visit the Peach State to make their sports bets. All of that money being spent outside of South Carolina may prove too much for opponents to overcome and pave the way for sports betting in this anti-gambling stronghold.