South Carolina Daily Fantasy Sports

In South Carolina, daily fantasy sports (DFS) floats in murky waters somewhere between legal and illegal. This is the case in most places across the U.S. An official bill, titled the South Carolina Fantasy Contests Act has been submitted with the hopes of regulating the activity, but has yet to make it onto the agenda of the South Carolina State Legislature – of course, we will keep you posted! For some additional details, you can refer to the page that we created specifically for South Carolina daily fantasy betting or you can explore also other states where it is legal, like Nevada daily fantasy betting.

Gambling Laws in South Carolina

South Carolina has some of the most restrictive gaming laws in the entire country. There are no legal forms of gambling in the traditional sense. Residents can participate in the state lottery and daily fantasy sports contests. However, most Americans wouldn’t really consider these a form of gambling. When we envision gambling, we usually are thinking about poker, slots, sports betting et al. Unfortunately, all of these are illegal in the state of South Carolina. Although there are online casinos and poker rooms that are accessible across state lines, playing online is still a crime in S.C. even if the site operates from a different location.

SC also houses no tribal casinos. For the foreseeable future, a player seeking gambling options is going to have to travel to a state, in which gambling is permitted. Forecasts seem brighter, however. In summer 2018, a bill was sponsored to legalize betting on sports and horse racing in the state. The S.C. House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford said that “the money is too huge for states to ignore.” Nevertheless, it will most likely take some time before any significant changes to the law are made.

South Carolina Sports Betting

As stated in the section directly above, sports betting is currently not legal in the state of South Carolina. The U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down PAPSA, which means that it is up to states whether or not to allow sports betting. There appears to be some support in the state’s government to regulate sports betting, so that SC could tap into the lucrative market in hopes of funding public programs. However, legislation moves slowly. As of now, there are no South Carolina sports betting sites to recommend. And while it is illegal, hope always exist and for this we crafted a page about South Carolina sports betting where our team will update you in case something changes in the state.

Online Casinos for South Carolinians

Casino gaming in South Carolina is a prohibited activity. Not only does the state have no traditional casinos, but one won’t be able to find Tribal casinos either. Although online casinos continue to grow in popularity around the world, online operators have hard a challenging time penetrating America’s border. There are no online casinos that legally can offer games to South Carolina residents. However, if you want more information on the subject, you can check our dedicated review about casinos in South Carolina here!

Online Poker

Poker is treated the same way as every other form of traditional casino gambling in South Carolina, it is illegal. In the state, it is even illegal to play the game socially regardless if any wagering takes place. There are not South Carolina online poker sites, and there is no way to play the game in the state. I, or a member of my team will update this page should anything change in the future, but we aren’t holding our breath.

The South Carolina Education Lottery

The lottery in SC is known as the South Carolina Education Lottery (SCEL) and was launched in 2002. SCEL games consist of Pick 3, Pick 4 and scratch tickets. Players must be 18 years old to play. In addition, the SCEL lottery, players can participate in national lotteries including the Mega Millions and Powerball lottos. If you want more info on SC’s lottery, visit the official website of SC’s Education Lottery. For further details, you can take a look at our page about South Carolina lottery possibilities.

History of Gambling in South Carolina

If I were to write a book on the history of gambling in SC, it would be a pretty short book. For most of the state’s history gambling, in almost all of its forms, has been illegal. There was a brief moment in time in which video poker was allowed, but that was quickly put to bed. Now the only way to gamble in the state is on the Big M cruise ship casino. Below you can see a timeline of the biggest moments in South Carolina’s gambling history.

South Carolina State Facts

For most people, the first thing that probably pops into mind when one mentions palm trees and the beach is California. However, South Carolina has over 180 miles of coastline and has a palm tree on its state flag. The state also has a long and rich history. It was one of the thirteen original colonies and the location of the outbreak of the American Civil War. Although that war had decimated the state’s economy, South Carolina has since recovered, and its economy has slowly seen improvement. Below are some helpful state facts and websites.

Gambling Age in South Carolina

The only legal form of gambling in South Carolina is the lottery. People must be 18 years or older to participate in one of the state or national lotteries. The legal drinking age in the state is the same as the one laid out in the federal law, 21 years or older.

• Online Gambling Age:
  Players must be 18+ years old to play the State Lotto
• Alcohol Age
  The legal drinking age in SC is 21+ years old.
• Weed Age
  Consumption of marijuana is illegal no matter the reason.

Responsible Gambling and Addiction Prevention

Because South Carolina doesn’t offer many legal forms to gamble in the US, the state doesn’t allocate a huge portion of its budget to problem gambling services. The state doesn’t have a designated affiliate to the National Council on Problem Gambling, but this isn’t a problem because residents can use any of the services offered by the national responsible gambling organizations. Simply visit the website of the National Council on Problem Gambling .

Upcoming Regulation and Expected Changes

Earlier on this page, I mentioned there is currently an active daily fantasy sports bill making its way through the South Carolina State Legislature. However, the bill has yet to be approved. If you need more details, you could also check our full guide about South Carolina daily fantasy betting.

Meanwhile, if you are looking for a state with legal fantasy sports, you may wish to consult our page about daily fantasy sites in PA. It also appears that some members of the state government are softening their stances against sports betting. Nevertheless, it doesn’t look like any meaningful changes are going to happen to SC gambling law anytime soon. My team and I will update this page should anything change.

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