Is Sports Betting Legal in South Carolina? 2026 Laws, Expired Bills and What Changes in 2027

No, sports betting is not legal in South Carolina, online or in person, as of October 9, 2026. The only state-run gambling is the South Carolina Education Lottery, plus licensed charity bingo and nonprofit raffles. Every sports betting bill from the 2025–26 session died when the session ended in May. The next real chance starts in January 2027, with a new governor in office.

Why this guide is different: Most South Carolina pages stop at “not legal yet.” We read the actual bill records, timed the state’s two-year legislative clock, and compared the money S.444 might raise against what the lottery already brings in. We also flag a 2026 state tax change that most betting sites haven’t caught.

Is Sports Betting Legal in South Carolina Right Now?

No. There is no legal way to place a sports bet while you are in South Carolina. That covers mobile apps, retail sportsbooks, and betting through a friend or local bookie.

South Carolina is one of a shrinking group of states with no legal sports wagering at all. Legal Sports Report’s South Carolina page, updated Sept. 10, 2026, says there are no legal real-money options for traditional sports betting in the state. Our state-by-state sports betting tracker shows how South Carolina compares with its neighbors.

The Basic Rules Today

• Sportsbooks: None licensed. No state agency regulates sports betting.
• Online casinos: None licensed.
• Land-based casinos: None on land in South Carolina. That includes tribal casinos.
• Lottery: Legal. You must be 18 or older to buy a ticket.
• Charity bingo and raffles: Legal for qualified nonprofits that follow state licensing and registration rules.
• Daily fantasy sports: A gray area. No South Carolina law clearly allows or bans it.

If you want a quick look at what operates near you, our South Carolina casino and sportsbook finder lists options by region.

What Does South Carolina Law Say About Gambling?

South Carolina’s gambling laws are old and broad. Most sit in Title 16, Chapter 19 of the state code, and some date to the early 1900s.

Here are the three sections that matter most for bettors:

• Section 16-19-40 (unlawful games and betting): It bans playing games with cards or dice for money in many places, including taverns, stores, streets, open fields and “any house used as a place of gaming.” It also covers betting on the people who play. A player can face up to 30 days in jail or a $100 fine. The person who runs the place faces up to a year and a $2,000 fine.
• Section 16-19-130 (betting, pool selling, bookmaking): It bans anyone in the state from taking or recording bets on “any trial or contest of skill, speed or power of endurance of man or beast.” That’s the section that blocks sportsbooks. It also covers bets on elections. Violations are a misdemeanor with up to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail, or both.
• Section 16-19-60 (social games): This carves out a narrow exception. Club members can play card, tile and dice games like bridge, canasta and mahjong at a private home or clubhouse. But nobody, including the host, can make any money from it, and no machines are allowed.

That exception is narrow. It isn’t a green light for a cash poker night with a rake. If you’re unsure, ask a South Carolina lawyer.

Why a Sports Betting Bill Is Enough

Casinos and sports betting take different legal paths in South Carolina. S.444 was written as a regular bill that adds a new chapter to the state code. It would need to pass both chambers and get the governor’s signature, or survive a veto with a two-thirds vote.

Casinos are a heavier lift. SC Daily Gazette reported on Oct. 7, 2026, that any statewide casino referendum would need supermajority approval in both chambers to reach the ballot. The earliest it could appear is November 2028. South Carolina has no citizen-led ballot initiatives, so voters can’t force the question on their own.

What Forms of Gambling Are Legal in South Carolina?

The list is short. Here’s what you can do legally, and what you can’t.

The Lottery

The South Carolina Education Lottery is the biggest legal game in the state. Voters approved it in 2000, and sales started in 2002. State law (Section 59-150-210) bans selling tickets to anyone under 18. Adults can buy tickets and give them as gifts to someone of any age.

The lottery’s fiscal year 2026 numbers, from its July 13, 2026, release and results page:

• $2.4 billion in ticket sales
• $1.6 billion in prizes paid to players
• $606.8 million sent to education, just short of the 2021 record of $607.6 million
• $9.5 billion sent to education since 2002

FY2026 was also the first year the lottery sold tickets with debit cards. If you play Powerball or scratch-offs, our lotto hub covers draw games across states.

Charity Bingo

Nonprofit charitable groups can run bingo, but only with a license from the S.C. Department of Revenue. SCDOR lists eight license classes, and Class B and Class C are the most common. A Class B license costs $1,000, with a $5 entry fee per player. The top Class AA license costs $4,000 and allows bingo only one day a month. Groups must use a licensed promoter, and one person or company can’t act as operator, promoter, distributor and manufacturer at the same time.

Nonprofit Raffles

Raffles are legal for qualified nonprofits under the Raffles for Charitable Purposes Act (Title 33, Chapter 57). A group can hold up to four raffles a year, and each one can run for up to nine months. Except for 50/50 drawings, at least 90% of net raffle receipts must go to the group’s charitable purpose. Groups also file an annual raffle form with a fee.

Casino Cruises

Big M Casino in Little River runs two casino ships. The company calls itself “South Carolina’s only casino.” The gambling happens on board during a cruise, not in a building on land. Check the company’s site for current sailing times and age rules before you go.

Daily Fantasy Sports

DFS sits in a legal gray zone. Legal Sports Report says no South Carolina law explicitly addresses whether DFS is legal, and major DFS apps still accept entries from the state. The state doesn’t license or tax them. Treat that as unsettled, not as an official green light.

Prediction Markets

Federally registered prediction markets also take South Carolina customers for sports event contracts. But Attorney General Alan Wilson joined a 44-state coalition telling the Commodity Futures Trading Commission it lacks authority over sports contracts, Legal Sports Report reported. That fight is still open.

What’s Not Legal

• No commercial casinos on land
• No tribal casinos inside South Carolina
• No poker rooms or card rooms
• No slot or video poker machines for gambling
• No online casinos or online poker
• No sportsbooks of any kind

South Carolina once had a huge video poker industry. Sen. Larry Grooms told a Senate committee in March 2026 that it grew to $3.5 billion on the strength of a little-noticed clause slipped into the 1986 budget, according to SC Daily Gazette. That history still shapes how many lawmakers vote on gambling today.

What Happened to South Carolina’s 2025–26 Sports Betting Bills?

They all died. South Carolina’s General Assembly works on a two-year cycle. Bills that don’t pass by the end of the second year expire. South Carolina ETV explains that unfinished bills are erased at 5 p.m. on the second Thursday in May. In 2026, that was May 14. When lawmakers return in January 2027, every gambling bill must start from scratch.

Here’s where each major bill stood when the clock ran out, based on the official Statehouse records:

S.444: The Online Sports Betting Bill

Sens. Tom Davis and Matt Leber filed S.444 on March 12, 2025. It went to the Senate Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee. Lawmakers heard it on Feb. 18, 2026, but took no vote, WRDW and Legal Sports Report reported.

Davis made the case plainly. “The worst thing you can do in politics is bury your head in the sand and pretend something doesn’t exist,” he told WRDW. He argued people already bet illegally or drive out of state.

H.3625: The House Companion

H.3625 was prefiled on Dec. 12, 2024, by Rep. Chris Murphy with a long list of co-sponsors. It went to House Ways and Means. Legal Sports Report says it was discussed in a Revenue Policy subcommittee in April 2025 and never moved after that.

H.4176: The I-95 Casino Bill

This bill got the furthest. It would have allowed one casino off Interstate 95, in one of three eligible counties and only with that county council’s support, SC Daily Gazette reported. Ways and Means reported it out on April 30, 2025, with a majority favorable vote. It reached the House floor, where debate was adjourned more than once.

On Jan. 28, 2026, the House sent it back to committee. SC Daily Gazette reported that House Republicans chose that route rather than draw controversy in an election year. WSAV reported the bill would have dedicated 35% of casino revenue to conservation. Senate Minority Leader Brad Hutto, D-Orangeburg, has pledged to bring the idea back next session, according to SC Daily Gazette’s June 5 report.

S.344: Horse Racing Bets

S.344, the South Carolina Equine Advancement Act, would have allowed app betting on horse races, but only at live South Carolina race events. SC Daily Gazette listed five: the Carolina Cup and Colonial Cup in Camden, the spring and fall steeplechases in Aiken, and the Steeplechase of Charleston. Geolocation would confirm bettors were on site.

The Senate Finance Committee voted 12–6 to advance it in March 2026. The official record shows a favorable-with-amendment report on March 18 and no Senate floor vote after that. It expired in May.

Our take: No South Carolina sports betting bill has reached a floor vote, based on the bill records and Legal Sports Report’s timeline back to 2019. The casino bill got closer than any sports betting bill did. That tells you the votes may exist for a debate, but leaders have not been willing to force one with Gov. Henry McMaster promising a veto.

Could the 2026 Governor’s Race Change the Odds?

Yes, and that’s the biggest change in years. Gov. McMaster has opposed every gambling expansion since he took office in 2017, Legal Sports Report noted. Overriding his veto would take a supermajority that supporters have never had. He is leaving office, so South Carolina picks a new governor on Nov. 3, 2026.

The two nominees take different routes:

• Alan Wilson (Republican, attorney general since 2010): He supports online sports betting with guardrails. “I don’t want to criminalize conduct that people are doing on their phone,” he told The State, as quoted by Legal Sports Report on Oct. 5. He firmly opposes casinos.
• Jermaine Johnson (Democrat, state representative since 2020): He wants voters to weigh in before any casino. He has said guardrails against crime and money for addiction treatment would be required. He has spoken about his family living in motels when he was growing up because of gambling addiction.

At the Oct. 6 debate, the nominees answered gambling questions by show of hands. SC Daily Gazette reported that only Johnson raised his hand to support casinos if voters approved them in a statewide referendum. Only Wilson raised his hand to oppose casinos “even if voters support it.”

What this means for you: A governor can’t legalize sports betting alone. Lawmakers still have to pass a bill. But if the next governor won’t veto a mobile betting bill, supporters no longer need a two-thirds majority. They’d need a simple majority in each chamber. That’s a much smaller hill, and it’s why the 2027 session matters more than any session before it.

What Would Legal Betting Look Like Under S.444?

S.444 is the best preview of a future South Carolina law. Bills often get refiled with the same structure. Here’s what the 2025–26 text proposed:

• Regulator: A new nine-member South Carolina Sports Wagering Commission.
• Operators: Up to eight licensed online sportsbooks.
• Who could bet: Adults 18 and older, physically located in South Carolina.
• Tax: 12.5% of adjusted gross receipts, which is roughly what a sportsbook keeps after paying winners.
• Fees: A $100,000 application fee and a $1 million license fee.

The 18+ age is unusual. North Carolina and most other states require bettors to be 21. Expect that number to be debated if the bill comes back.

Our Calculation: Sports Betting vs. the Lottery

We put the one public estimate we found next to what the lottery already delivers. WRDW reported that Caesars Entertainment estimated South Carolina could make about $50 million from legal sports betting.

Editor’s Note on method: WRDW didn’t say whether the $50 million figure covers taxes only or also license fees. Our last row assumes it is all tax. If license fees are part of it, the operator revenue needed would be lower. These are our own rough calculations, not state forecasts. South Carolina has not published an official fiscal estimate that we could find for the 2025–26 version.

Our take: Sports betting wouldn’t come close to the lottery as a money-maker. At these numbers, it would add about one extra month of lottery-sized education money each year. That’s real money, but it’s a modest pitch. Supporters may win more votes arguing about consumer protection, since South Carolinians already bet offshore, than about revenue.

Where Can South Carolinians Bet Legally Nearby?

North Carolina is the closest legal option. Mobile sports betting launched there on March 11, 2024, according to the North Carolina governor’s office. The N.C. Lottery Commission regulates it, and bettors must be 21 or older.

The key rule: you must be physically inside North Carolina when you place the bet. The apps use geolocation to check. Your South Carolina address doesn’t matter, but your phone’s location does. Drive back across the line and the app stops taking bets.

North Carolina also has three retail sportsbooks, according to Legal Sports Report:

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Cherokee
• Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River, Murphy
• Catawba Two Kings Casino, Kings Mountain

Catawba Two Kings is run by the Catawba Nation, but the casino and sportsbook are in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. You can’t bet with it from the South Carolina side.

Upstate and Rock Hill residents are closest to North Carolina. People along the Georgia line won’t find help there, since Georgia has no legal sports betting either. Our North Carolina betting law guide explains how NC apps, taxes and age rules work.

Are Offshore Sportsbooks Legal for South Carolina Bettors?

Offshore sportsbooks are betting sites based outside the U.S. Many accept players from South Carolina. They are not licensed by South Carolina, and no South Carolina agency regulates them.

South Carolina law doesn’t authorize any online sportsbook. Its bookmaking ban in Section 16-19-130 was written long before the internet. We don’t give legal advice. If you want to know your personal legal exposure, talk to a South Carolina attorney. What we can tell you is what changes when you bet with a site that sits outside the state’s rules.

Wilson, the attorney general now running for governor, described the problem himself: “anybody can go online.” WRDW also reported that Sen. Davis said people already bet illegally. Using an offshore site doesn’t come with any South Carolina protections.

The Real Trade-Offs

• No regulator to call: If a site refuses to pay or freezes your account, no South Carolina agency can step in. Legal Sports Report notes there is no consumer protection at unlicensed sites.
• Identity checks (KYC): Reputable offshore books ask for ID before your first withdrawal. Use your real name and details from day one so a payout isn’t held up.
• Withdrawal limits: Many sites cap how much you can withdraw per week or per request. Read those limits before you deposit a large amount.
• Crypto price swings: Most offshore books favor Bitcoin and other crypto. The value can drop between deposit and withdrawal.
• Card declines: U.S. banks often decline card deposits to offshore gambling sites.
• Fewer safety tools: State-licensed apps usually offer deposit limits and self-exclusion. Offshore sites vary, so set your own limits.
• Location rules: Every site has its own terms on where customers can play. Follow them. Breaking a site’s terms can get your account closed and your balance withheld.

For a fuller look, read our guide to the real risks of offshore sportsbooks.

Which Offshore Sportsbooks Do We Review for South Carolina Bettors?

These are the four offshore books we’d look at first. We picked them for their track record with U.S. players and ease of use for beginners. Each link goes to our full review, which covers payouts, bonus terms and risks. Check each site’s current offer and terms before you sign up.

Why BetOnline is #1 for South Carolina: College football is the biggest betting draw in the state. Legal Sports Report calls Clemson football the most popular team in any sport in South Carolina, and the Gamecocks and Coastal Carolina have big followings too. BetOnline’s wide college menu fits that. MyBookie is the easiest starting point for a first-timer. BetUS works if you also want casino games in the same account. Bovada is the name many people already know.

This table doesn’t mean offshore betting is approved in South Carolina. It isn’t. It’s our view of the most established offshore books if you’ve already decided to use one.

How Do Payments Work at Offshore Sportsbooks?

Money moves differently at offshore books than at state-licensed apps.

Deposits

• Crypto: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and stablecoins are the most common options. Deposits usually post fast once the network confirms them.
• Credit and debit cards: Often available, but U.S. banks may decline them. Some cards charge cash-advance fees.

Withdrawals

• Crypto is usually fastest. Many books process crypto payouts faster than checks or bank wires.
• Expect an ID check first. Upload your ID early so your first withdrawal isn’t held up.
• Know the limits. Weekly caps, minimums and fees vary by book and by method.

New to crypto? Start with our crypto betting guide for beginners. It walks through wallets, fees and price swings.

How Are Gambling Winnings Taxed in South Carolina in 2026?

Gambling winnings count as income for both federal and South Carolina income tax. That’s true whether you win at the lottery, at a North Carolina sportsbook, or at an offshore site. Two big 2026 changes affect bettors.

Change 1: South Carolina’s New Income Tax Rules

Gov. McMaster signed H.4216, now Act 110 of 2026, on March 30, 2026. It applies to tax years starting with 2026, so the first returns under it are due April 15, 2027. According to SCDOR Information Letter #26-20 and the department’s H.4216 summary:

• Two brackets: 1.99% on taxable income under $30,000. For income of $30,000 or more, the tax is 5.21% of taxable income minus $966.
• New starting point: Federal adjusted gross income (AGI) is now the starting point for the South Carolina return.
• Decoupled deductions: South Carolina no longer follows the federal standard or itemized deductions.
• New SC deduction (SCIAD): $15,000 for single filers, $22,500 for heads of household and $30,000 for married couples filing jointly. The amounts can shrink at higher incomes.

Why That Matters for Bettors

Under federal law, gambling losses are an itemized deduction. They don’t reduce your AGI. Your winnings are in AGI in full, and your losses come off later only if you itemize.

So here’s the question every South Carolina bettor should ask a tax preparer this year: if South Carolina starts from AGI and no longer follows federal itemized deductions, can you still subtract gambling losses on your 2026 South Carolina return? We checked SCDOR’s tax-reform guidance and couldn’t find a gambling-specific answer as of Oct. 9, 2026. Treat this as unverified until SCDOR addresses it. SCDOR has said it will release more guidance later this year.

Change 2: The Federal 90% Rule

The federal tax law signed in July 2025 changed how gambling losses work. Starting in 2026, you can deduct only 90% of your gambling losses, and only up to the amount of your winnings. IRS Internal Revenue Bulletin 2026-19 lays out the proposed rules.

Here’s a simple example we worked out. It assumes you itemize on your federal return.

You broke even, but you’d still owe federal tax on $1,000 under the 2026 rules. Bettors who make lots of bets of roughly equal size feel this most. Our crypto sports betting tax guide explains how to track offshore and crypto wins and losses.

Our advice: Keep a simple log of every deposit, bet, win and withdrawal, with dates. Save screenshots of your account history each month. Offshore sites may not send you tax forms, but the IRS still expects you to report winnings. This is general information, not tax advice.

What Should South Carolina Bettors Watch in 2027?

The 127th General Assembly starts fresh in January 2027. Here’s our watch list, in the order things are likely to happen:

1. Nov. 3, 2026 election: The governor’s race decides whether a mobile betting bill faces a veto. All 124 House seats are also on the ballot.
2. December 2026 prefiling: Watch for a new version of S.444 or H.3625. In the last cycle, H.3625 was prefiled on Dec. 12, 2024.
3. Bill text details: Check the age limit (18 or 21), the tax rate, the number of licenses and whether college games are allowed.
4. Committee action: A committee vote would already be more progress than any South Carolina sports betting bill has made. A floor vote would be new ground.
5. Casino and horse racing bills: Sen. Hutto’s casino pledge and a new horse racing bill could compete for attention, or travel together as a package.
6. The prediction market fight: How the CFTC and courts handle state challenges could change what’s available in South Carolina, with or without a new law.

Our realistic timeline: Even if a bill passes in 2027, the state would still need to create a commission, write rules and license operators. Other states have often taken months to launch after passing a law. We wouldn’t expect legal South Carolina betting apps before 2028 at the earliest. That’s our estimate, not a forecast from any official source.

We track each state’s bills on our state-by-state gambling news page, and we’ll update this guide when South Carolina lawmakers act.

References

• S.C. Code of Laws, Title 16, Chapter 19 (Gambling and Lotteries)
• S.C. Code of Laws, Title 33, Chapter 57 (Raffles for Charitable Purposes Act)
• S.C. Code of Laws, Title 59, Chapter 150 (Education Lottery Act)
• S.444 bill history (126th Session): scstatehouse.gov and bill text: S.444 text
• H.3625 bill history
• H.4176 bill history
• S.344 bill history
• SCDOR Information Letter #26-20, Individual Income Tax Reform (Aug. 31, 2026)
• SCDOR, Information about H. 4216 (April 15, 2026)
• SCDOR, Bingo licensing

Gambling involves risk. Only bet what you can afford to lose. Sports betting is not legal in South Carolina, and you must be 21 to bet legally in North Carolina. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. You can also call the S.C. Gambling Helpline at 1-877-452-5155, run through the S.C. Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, or the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738).