South Carolina boasts its South Carolina Education Lottery, a member of the multi-jurisdictional games Powerball and Mega Millions, and purveyor of many scratch-off games. It is one of few gaming options for residents, with almost all casinos and other forms of betting banned for most of the state’s history. Online lotto is, unfortunately, another option South Carolinians do not have access to at the moment.

Though South Carolina’s “Education Lottery” has been popular and lucrative for the state, no big moves have been seen in the direction of legalizing online lottos. It could happen, in theory, with the decision made on the Federal Wire Act in 2011 opening up all states to the possibility of online lotteries. A few states have made gains in this area and more are slowly following. Perhaps South Carolina will follow suit once more online lottos have been better established in neighboring states.

Legal Online Lotteries Available in the USA

South Carolina offers a wide variety of lotteries from its retailers, but no online lottos are legal in the state at this time. If online play is eventually legalized, residents could take part in draws conveniently from their mobile devices. With billions of dollars in payouts since their creations, draws like Powerball, Mega Millions and Lucky for Life have become extremely popular, especially in states where online play is available. Follow this page for updates as South Carolina’s online lotto laws progress.

US Powerball

This is one of the earliest lottery games on a national level. Currently, it is played in more than 20 states. Formed in 1992, it quickly gathered a lot of fans. It boasts a minimum jackpot of 40 million dollars. The biggest amount ever won was $1.586 billion in 2016, and it was divided between three lucky players.

Mega Millions

Mega Millions or ‘The Big Game’, as it was called initially, was launched in 1996. Right now, Mega Million is played in 46 jurisdictions – fourthy-four states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The draws happen twice a week and the minimum jackpot is 40 million dollars. The largest one, though, was $1.537 billion.

Lucky for Life

This lotto game started barely a decade ago in Connecticut. Then it expanded to New England and now, it’s available in 25 states and the District of Columbia as well. If you hit the jackpot, the lotto grants you a payout of $1000 per day for the rest of your life. But you can also choose a cash prize – the first player to do so received a total amount of 5.750.000 dollars.

Lottery Regulator in South Carolina

As with many state lottos in the U.S., South Carolina’s lottery was formed with the intent to allocate additional funds to public education projects. Even in its short history, it has been successful in its goal, transferring over $5 billion in revenue to the “Education Lottery Account” managed by the State Treasury. Accounts from the most recent fiscal year (2017-2018) showed record ticket sales, retail commissions, and prizes, which all add up to significant gains for education in South Carolina.

History of South Carolina Lottery

South Carolina offers very little by way of gambling. Aside from a few bingo operators and the occasional cruise ship casino, the state’s lotto is one of the only ways for residents to play. It’s no surprise then that the lotto is quite recent — started only in 2001 — and that no moves to create an online lotto have yet been made.

Famous Winners – South Carolina Breaks Records

A winner from South Carolina has recently become the biggest ever single-person winner of a lotto jackpot when they collected a $1.5 billion prize on March 2019. The winner opted to remain anonymous, but said that every decision they made that day — including letting another customer buy a ticket ahead of them at the store — led to their winning Mega Millions ticket. The Lottery Commission’s executive director Hogan Brown was happy to share that the state will benefit from $61 million in tax revenue from this ticket alone.

Online Lotto Legal Age in South Carolina

South Carolina hadn’t legalized online lottery yet so we cannot say what will be the age for it, but for the regular lotto you must be at least 18 years old. We could only guess that this will be adopted in the future legislation of online gambling as well. Anyway, keep in mind that sites check very carefully your documents and no frauds are tolerated.

• Lottery Age
  There is no legal online lottery age in South Carolina as it is currently illegal.
• Alcohol Age
  The legal drinking age is 21 in South Carolina.
• Weed Age
  There is no legal cannabis age in South Carolina as it is currently illegal.

Is Online Lotto Legal When You Are Out of the State?

If you cannot resist and you really want to play online, you will have to turn to other states. Luckily for you, there are some that offer you impeccable experience. We can easily recommend to you lottery in Illinois. There you can enjoy great betting opportunities which are completely legal and safe. But keep in mind that some states have restrictions, so read well before signing in wherever.

The Best Lottery Mobile App

While the online lottery is illegal in South Carolina, there are states that have legalized it as we said before. And there you can also play on your mobile device since many operators have dedicated apps for both iOS and Android. Others have optimized their websites and made them completely mobile compatible.

Online Lottery Promotions to Take Advantage Of

In the operators’ websites, you can find very alluring offers and promotions which can boost your bankroll. Some give you a match up bonus, others award you with free entries for certain lotteries. All in all, if you can access a lotto site and it is legal, the perks are neverending and you will for sure be satisfied. For more information on other betting products, you can take a look at the overall review of South Carolina gambling

Taxes on Lotto Winnings in South Carolina

With no legal online lottery, we can’t say what the taxes on it would be if one day it gets legalized. But for the regular one, you will have to pay 7% of the amount of your win. Plus, since the IRS considers the lotto winnings to be income, more 24% will be withheld. For additional details, you can turn to the Department of Revenue

Upcoming Regulation Changes for Online Lottery

For now, we have to inform you, that South Carolina doesn’t plan to legalize online lottery and there are no bills and legislations related to it. But since the US became much more tolerant and started adopting different forms of gambling laws, we can still hope for a change. And if such occurs, be sure that we will update you immediately.

Lottery Guides for Nearby States

• North Carolina
• Tennessee
• Georgia
• Virginia