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Who said there was zero chance of legal sports betting in South Carolina? There is another lawmaker in the state that’s trying to get something passed. But will he have any success?
That’s what we’re going to discuss in this article. As you likely know, South Carolina is one of 11 states still holding out on legalizing sports betting — plus other gambling activities like casino. However, there’s been renewed belief the state could be changing its ways. Let’s cover what’s going on in the southern state!
Senator Pushes New Sports Betting Bill
Meet Tom Davis. He’s a Republican Senator from the state — and he’s the latest to push sports betting in-state. Davis introduced Senate Bill 444 during March. Almost immediately, the bill was sent to the Senate’s Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee for consideration, a promising sign.
But here’s the interesting part: Davis’ proposal is a clone of House Bill 3625, introduced by Rep. Chris Murphy back in December. However, there’s been zero movement on Murphy’s past bill. It never got out of the House Ways and Means Committee. Because of that, Murphy has been vouching for legal casinos in South Carolina (more on that later).
Davis’ bill is a bit of a Hail Mary because the legislative session ends in May — so we’re more than halfway through the current one. So does this new Senste proposal stand any chance? Well, sort of, albeit not a high one. Let’s discuss this in the next section.
Does SB 444 Stand A Chance?
First things first, let’s detail SB 444. Under the proposal, South Carolina would allow up to eight online sportsbook licenses, including the top mobile apps. The legal betting age would be set at 18, not 21 like most other states. To apply, operators would need to already be licensed in at least five other jurisdictions and pay a $100,000 application fee. If approved, they’d be charged an additional $1 million license fee.
One notable detail: the bill includes a provision for temporary licenses, allowing approved operators to begin offering sports betting as soon as possible based on their existing credentials in other states. The proposed tax rate on sports betting revenue would be 12.5 percent — which would be one of the lowest in the country — and oversight would fall under a newly created regulatory body called the South Carolina Sports Wagering Commission.
All this sounds good on paper, but still, turning any of this into law in South Carolina remains a long shot — and we mean long. There just doesn’t have to be any real appetite from the overly conservative lawmakers. That starts and ends with Governor Henry McMaster, who has publicly said he’s not in favor of the subject. Ultimately, he would have a final sign-off if the bill makes it through the Senate and House.
Worse for South Carolina bettors, McMaster is firmly entrenched in the job. Barring an impeachment or resignation, McMaster will be in office until 2027. That’s still a long way away, unfortunately.
Betting Interest Growing In South Carolina
All this news comes at a time when betting has never been more popular. In the places where it is legal and regulated, states are setting revenue and profit records almost monthly. That includes North Carolina sports betting, which launched almost exactly a year ago. The neighboring state blew out their initial expectations.
The idea was that South Carolina lawmakers would take notice since North Carolina hits a lot closer to home than, say, New York and its multi-billion-dollar marketplace. All these states are using betting taxes to subsidize their government, but South Carolina has stuck to their guns.
This is in spite of in-state consumer demand rising. During the last NFL season — the peak period for betting — data from GeoComply showed massive year-over-year growth in South Carolina-based users accessing legal sportsbooks in neighboring states. The number of active accounts from the Palmetto State grew by more than 436 percent to 365,808, generating 7.7 million location checks throughout the season.
“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.”
Push For Casinos Being Made Too
There’s not just interest in legalizing sports betting. The same goes for casino betting, as mentioned earlier. But on this issue, a local entrepreneur is taking the lead.
Earlier this year, Greenville businessman and casino developer Wallace Cheves unveiled plans for a $1 billion casino and resort in Santee, South Carolina. Here’s the kicker: those are private funds — not from South Carolina taxpayers. It’s an ambitious plan that could create thousands of jobs. However, it too faces an uphill battle. Nothing can be built until there’s legislative approval, which, as we detailed, is not all that likely right now.
Two months remain in this legislative session to change that. But if you’re a gambling man (or woman), you’re quite the underdog right now in getting any changes in South Carolina.
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