Saying that South Carolina has a restrictive position towards gambling would be an understatement. After Utah, the Palmetto State has some of the most conservative gambling laws. There are no land-based casinos and poker is illegal, as well as social gambling. In fact, the only legal forms of gambling are the lottery, bingo, and horse racing.

• South Carolina Legal Online Gambling 2020. The status of South Carolina's legal online gambling scene is supported by licensed offshore online platforms that is because the state has yet to regulate domestic online gambling.
• 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.

The best South Carolina online casinos accept a wide variety of banking options. Don’t overlook the importance of a good-looking SC casino site. The top-rated online casinos in South Carolina.

Below is a breakdown of the legal status of gambling in South Carolina. We’ve also thrown in a few excerpts from South Carolina statutes to help people create a clear picture of the state’s gambling laws.

Top 3 South Carolina Online Casinos

Gambling Laws in South Carolina — The Law Overview

Back in the 1990s, South Carolina casinos were more popular than those in Nevada. The gambling landscape in the country flourished when video poker operators discovered a loophole in the South Carolina gambling laws. At one point, there were over 34,000 video poker machines across the state.

However, the South Carolina Supreme Court pulled the plug in the 2000s, outlawing almost all gambling activities. The industry was dismantled, putting thousands of people out of work. It never recovered up to this day, and the only form of legal gambling are two casino cruise ships, charity bingo, and the state lottery that was established in 2001.

Gambling-related matters are covered with the South Carolina Code of Laws, Section 16-19-40 et seq.

South Carolina Statutes

The South Carolina Code of Law defines gambling as “… the risking of any money, credit, deposit, or other thing of value for gain.”

South Carolina lawmakers were keen on keeping both tribal and commercial gambling out of the state. The laws are so broad that all games involving cards or dice are illegal, no matter if any money is being wagered or not, especially on Sundays. Furthermore, gambling debts are non-enforceable, and even possessing a gaming table is deemed illegal under SC laws.

Here’s the key excerpt from the Statues: “Any person who shall at any time or sitting, by playing at cards, dice table or any other game whatsoever or by betting on the sides or hands of such as do play at any of the games aforesaid, lose to any person or persons so playing or betting,” (From Section 32-1-10)

This clearly shows that roulette, craps, blackjack, and other table games are illegal, no matter if you’re playing for real money, charitable donation, or only for fun.

Here’s the part about possessing gaming tables: “Any person who shall set up, keep, or use any (a) gaming table, commonly called A, B, C, or E, O, or any gaming table known or distinguished by any other letters or by any figures, (b) roley-poley table, (c) table to play at rouge et noir, (d) faro bank (e) any other gaming table or bank of the like kind or of any other kind for the purpose of gaming, or (f) any machine or device licensed pursuant to Section 12-21-2720 and used for gambling purposes except the games of billiards, bowls, chess, draughts, and backgammon, upon being convicted thereof, upon indictment, shall forfeit a sum not exceeding five hundred dollars and not less than two hundred dollars.”

South Carolina has especially stringent laws against playing games on Sunday, and we’re not just talking about gambling games. Basically, the state forbids any kind of game on the Sabbath. Even people who want to kill some time with solitaire or play a few rounds of chess with their pals will be breaking SC laws.

All this is mentioned in the following excerpt from section 16-19-70 of the Code of Law of SC: “Whoever shall keep or suffer to be kept any gaming table or permit any game or games to be played in his house on the Sabbath day, on conviction thereof before any court having jurisdiction, shall be fined in the sum of fifty dollars, to be sued for on behalf of, and to be recovered for the use of, the State.”

What Forms of Gambling Are Allowed?

There are only a few forms of live gambling permitted in South Carolina. Casino gambling is almost non-existent. The only way South Carolina citizens can enjoy games that remotely resemble those of a real casino is to go on the Big “M” Casino Cruise that sails three miles into international waters.

South Carolina has a state lottery that sells tickets for lotto drawings, as well as scratch-off tickets. Current draw games include Pick-3, Pick-4, Palmetto Cash 5, and interstate lottery games like Powerball and Mega Millions.

Bingo is permitted only if it’s run by charitable organizations. The Catawba Tribe is allowed to host high-stakes bingo games in accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Non-profit organizations must possess a license from the SCDOR (South Carolina Department of Revenue). All the profits derived from bingo games are used to fund charitable activities.

Is Online Gambling Legal in South Carolina?

South Carolina Indian Casino

Online gambling isn’t specifically mentioned in South Carolina gambling laws. However, the state’s criminal code is extremely difficult to interpret, so it’s hard to tell whether online gambling is illegal. SC law finds that a person is guilty of illegal gambling based on the following excerpt: “If any person shall play at a place of gaming or open place at (a) any game with cards or dice, (b) any gaming table, (c) any roley-poley table, (d) rouge et noir, (e) any faro bank, (f) any other table or bank of the same or the like kind under any denomination whatsoever, or (g) any machine or device licensed pursuant to Section 12-21-2720 and used for gambling purposes…”

For the first offense, the fine is 30 days in prison and/or a $100 fine (or less). A second offense is considered a felony. A person who commits such felony will be convicted of up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.

From what we could tell, SC laws identify only a few forms of gambling, and online gambling is neither of them. Since the state hasn’t made it explicitly legal, placing real money wagers in South Carolina is illegal.

Where to Gamble in South Carolina

There is only one casino boat in operation in South Carolina — The Big M Casino, docked at Little River. In fact, the company owns two boats that alternate sailing days and times. This is the only type of gambling you will find for South Carolina casinos.

The Big “M” Casino Ship II

This 186-ft. Casino yacht sails 365 days a year from Little River offering SC residents one of the rare opportunities to experience Las Vegas-style gaming. Here, you’ll find over 400 slots and video poker machines with denominations ranging from $.01–$5. There are also 12 progressives that feature five-digit jackpots. As for the table section, all the classics are on board, including blackjack, craps, roulette, Let it Ride, and 3-Card Poker. The casino also runs all kinds of promotions, giving sailors a chance to win cash and prize giveaways every time they set off on a voyage.

FAQ

Is off-track betting legal in South Carolina?

Unfortunately, it isn’t.

Are daily fantasy sports legal in South Carolina?

South Carolina lawmakers never addressed the legality of daily fantasy sports. However, the biggest DFS sites like FanDuels have been operating here legally for years.

Can I buy lottery tickets online in South Carolina?

No, you are only allowed to buy lottery tickets from a licensed lottery retailer.

Can I go to jail for gambling online in South Carolina?

As far as we can tell from our analysis of South Carolina Statutes and the Criminal Code, you can’t, because there’s no law on the books that you would be breaking by betting online in the Palmetto State.

What is the minimum gambling age in South Carolina?

It’s 18 for lottery and charitable gambling and 21 for casino cruise(s).

It is unusual to describe a gambling situation as tragic. Some states, like Utah, have never been fans of games of chance at all. Other states have gradually introduced elements of gaming and have steadily increased their participation or held relatively steady. South Carolina, on the other hand, may be the only state in the US to have dipped its toes in the water, then run screaming in the opposite direction.

Sweepstakes casinos in South Carolina

Online Casinos In South Carolina Counties

Social casino options

The typical operators of social casinos are available in South Carolina. In fact, Big M Casino, the cruise casino operator from Little River offers its own link to Double Down Casino – the largest of the social casinos. Otherwise, Slotomania, BigFish, ZyngaPoker, and all the usual options are available in South Carolina.

However, given the strict and prohibitive nature of South Carolina’s current gambling laws, it is advisable to proceed with caution on any site that has real-world promotions, such as MyVegas. Because any gambling or even mere ownership of gambling devices is illegal, it would be an unfortunate situation to face fines, confiscation, jail time, or a combination of the three simply because a player tried to redeem some loyalty points.

Online gambling

South Carolina’s gambling laws are some of the strictest in the nation. Rarely are statutes written with so little ambiguity. The laws are more analogous to drug laws than the ones typically seen in gambling regulations. In fact, the laws are so stringent on any type of gambling that it doesn’t even make sense to speak about the notion of an online casino in South Carolina.

State casino operator history

It used to be quite a sight. South Carolina had tens of thousands of video lottery terminals – which were de factovideo poker machines. In October 1999, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the machines were unconstitutional. They were requires to be shut down by June 2000, which they were.

At that point, a large portion of public opinion had turned against the machines. In no small part because of a particularly brutal story of a baby suffocating while its mother played video poker. Unfortunately, South Carolinians blamed the presence of the machines for this tragedy. As such, the multi-billion-dollar industry vanished in the summer of 2000.

This reversal is unique. Most states either introduce gambling slowly and increase offerings steadily over decades, or they introduce minimal gambling, like lotteries and racetracks, and stand pat. For a state to withdraw to an anti-gambling position is quite remarkable. For a state to reverse into one of the most restrictive situations in the country is even odder.

And yet, that is the situation in South Carolina. The gambling statutes for the Palmetto State are among the most restrictive in the US. It is illegal to have casino gambling, so there are no casinos within state lines. There are also no horsetracks, dogtracks, pari-mutuel facilities, or offtrack betting options to be found. Furthermore, it’s unlawful to even own gambling devices or tables, even if they are not being used in any way for promotion of gambling. Their mere possession constitutes an illegal act.

Legal gaming options

The only exceptions are strictly controlled social games (home poker games, mahjong, bridge, etc.), the state lottery, and charitable bingo games. The only other option for South Carolinians to gamble is to take one of two casino cruises. These depart from Little River (near Myrtle Beach) and are both operated by The Big “M” Casino company.

Out-of-state options

Otherwise, the only options for residents of the Palmetto State are three-to-four hours of driving away. The two Harrah’s Cherokee properties in Western North Carolina offer the nearest glimmers of possibility. Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort is the closer of the two – accessible from Columbia in just over three hours.

There is a bit of hope on the horizon. As is often the case, South Carolina has run into budget problems in the last few years. Specifically, the state of South Carolina’s roads has become a dangerous proposition. They are in need of an infusion of money and repair. Public opinion has swayed toward casinos as an option for addressing this need.

Possible changes ahead

Efforts are already underway. Rep. Todd Rutherford introduced H 3102 late last year. The bill, a joint resolution, proposes an amendment to South Carolina’s state constitution that would provide for the General Assembly to specify certain areas of the state for the development of full Las Vegas-style casinos. The bill is quite broad and would even allow the introduction of pari-mutuel betting and sports betting on professional sports.

So far, the bill is still with the judiciary committee, and no updates to its status have occurred since January – not a good sign. Still, for a state with such stringent anti-gambling regulations, the fact that the bill is even under consideration highlights both the changing mindset of voters in the state and the level of desperation the government is feeling to fix the roads. However, the path to legalization is long and would require a voter referendum to approve it, even if the bill makes it past the legislative body.

South Carolina is one of the toughest spots for gamblers. Not only are in-state options limited, but also out-of-state options are scarce. The state’s most prominent neighbor, Georgia, has no casinos, either. Still, times are changing, the old guard is moving on, and one can never tell what may happen … even in South Carolina. Below is a list of the nearest options for South Carolinians, limited and inconvenient though they may be.

Nearest casino or gambling options

State legal environment