States / South Carolina
South Carolina
- South Carolina is among the most restrictive gambling states, with no casinos, no sports betting and no online gambling.
- The only legal gambling is the Education Lottery, charitable bingo and "cruise to nowhere" boats offering slot machines in federal waters.
- Sports betting bills have stalled repeatedly, and fantasy sports and sweepstakes casinos sit in an unresolved gray zone.
More detail
- Legal framework. South Carolina is among the most restrictive gambling states in the country. It has no commercial or tribal casinos, no legal sports wagering, and no iGaming or online poker.
- Lottery. The state-run Education Lottery has operated since January 2002.
- Charitable gaming. SCDOR-licensed charitable bingo is legal.
- Cruise boats. "Cruise to nowhere" boats sail from Little River into federal waters to offer slot machines beyond state jurisdiction.
- Video poker. Video poker machines were once a billion-dollar industry. They were banned statewide effective June 30, 2000, after the Joytime Distributors litigation.
- Pending legislation. Sports betting bills (H.3625/S.444) and a bill to ban lottery couriers have stalled repeatedly in the General Assembly.
- Fantasy sports and sweepstakes. Daily fantasy sports and sweepstakes casinos operate in an unresolved legal gray zone. There is no definitive statute or enforcement action as of late 2026.
Reviewed Oct 10, 2026 · 18 sources
Legal status
LiveLegal, not launchedLimitedContestedProhibitedNot authorizedRepealedNA
| Vertical | Status | Launched | Model | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports (online) | Not authorized | H.3625 (SC Sports Wagering Act, prefiled Dec. 2024) would create an 8-license online market taxed at 12.5% of AGR and set min age 18; heard by a House Ways and Means subcommittee in April 2025 with no vote. Senate companion S.444 received a 2026 committee hearing but no vote. Rep. Chris Murphy, the bill's chief sponsor, resigned his seat in January 2026.[1],[2],[3] | ||
| Sports (retail) | Not authorized | No statute authorizes retail sports wagering; general prohibitions on betting/bookmaking (§16-19-130) and gaming (§16-19-40) apply. H.3625/S.444 (2025-2026) would legalize but have not passed.[1],[2] | ||
| Online casino | Not authorized | No authorizing statute; online casino games fall under the general prohibitions on banked/table games and gambling machines (§§16-19-40, 16-19-50, 12-21-2710).[1],[4] | ||
| Online poker | Not authorized | Card and dice games for money are unlawful under §16-19-40 except in exempted private social settings (§16-19-60, no betting/no commercial benefit). Not a member of the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.[1] | ||
| Commercial casinos | Prohibited | No land-based commercial casinos or racinos. Gambling machines and banked table games are criminalized under §§16-19-40, 16-19-50 and 12-21-2710. "Cruise to nowhere" vessels based in Little River (Horry County) legally offer slot machines once they clear roughly three miles into federal waters, under the federal Johnson Act and a Horry County per-passenger surcharge ordinance ($15/passenger as of 2025, rising to $18 in 2030); this is a maritime carve-out, not onshore commercial casino gaming.[4],[5] | ||
| Tribal casinos | Limited | Monopoly Tribal | The Catawba Indian Nation (SC's only federally recognized tribe) has no Class III gaming compact with South Carolina. Under the 1993 Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act, the tribe agreed to be bound by South Carolina law, and lost its state-court bid to operate video poker. SCDOR issues the tribe a "Catawba Indian Special" bingo-only license ($4,000); the tribe instead signed a Class III compact with North Carolina (approved by BIA March 19, 2021) for its Kings Mountain, NC casino, not a South Carolina facility.[6],[7] | |
| Lottery | Live | Jan 7, 2002 | Monopoly State | First draw January 7, 2002; joined Powerball October 9, 2002 and Mega Millions January 31, 2010. Net proceeds fund K-12 and higher-education programs, scholarships, and school buses via the Education Lottery Account. S.C. Code Title 59, Chapter 150 (South Carolina Education Lottery Act, 2001 Act No. 59) [8],[9] |
| iLottery | Not authorized | The Lottery Commission sells draw and instant games through licensed retailers only; no online ticket-sale platform (iLottery) has been authorized or launched.[8] | ||
| Daily fantasy | Not authorized | No statute defines or authorizes peer-to-peer daily fantasy sports. The Attorney General's office has said it is "not taking action on online gambling," and DFS operators (PrizePicks, Underdog, DraftKings/FanDuel DFS) operate without a specific state license or prosecution, but without a clear legal carve-out either. H.3625 and H.444 would add fantasy-sports definitions and an exemption from §16-19-130 if enacted.[1],[10] | ||
| VGTs / VLTs | Prohibited | Legalized 1986 | Video poker/VGT payout machines were a multibillion-dollar industry in SC until the General Assembly's 1999 Act No. 125 banned machine payouts. The SC Supreme Court in Joytime Distributors & Amusement Co. v. State, 338 S.C. 634, 528 S.E.2d 647 (1999), struck down the act's voter-referendum mechanism as an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power but held the payout ban itself severable and valid because the legislature had enacted it directly; the U.S. Supreme Court declined review. The ban took effect statewide at midnight June 30, 2000, and §12-21-2710 (as currently codified) still criminalizes any coin machine with a free-play/payout feature used for house-banked games. S.C. Code §12-21-2710 (as amended by 1999 Act No. 125) [4],[11] | |
| Historical horse racing | Not authorized | No HHR statute or licensed terminals; HHR-style machines would fall under the general gambling-machine prohibition in §§12-21-2710 and 16-19-50.[4],[1] | ||
| Sweepstakes casinos | Contested | No South Carolina statute or AG opinion specifically addresses dual-currency online sweepstakes casinos, and no SC-specific cease-and-desist action has been identified as of October 2026 (unlike Tennessee, New York and Connecticut actions in 2025). A deputy state attorney general took the position in 2012 that electronic sweepstakes machines are illegal gambling because "players are paying for a chance to win money," but SC magistrates and trial courts have ruled inconsistently on in-store sweepstakes terminals, leaving the underlying legal theory contested and unresolved for online sweepstakes-casino platforms.[12] | ||
| Prediction markets | Not authorized | No South Carolina-specific enforcement action, lawsuit, or cease-and-desist against CFTC-registered event-contract platforms (Kalshi, Polymarket, etc.) was identified as of October 2026, unlike the multistate actions in Ohio, Tennessee, Connecticut and elsewhere. Sports-outcome event contracts would likely fall within the general prohibition on betting and bookmaking (§16-19-130) if challenged, but this is untested in South Carolina. South Carolina sits in the Fourth Circuit, which has not ruled on Kalshi's CFTC-preemption theory as of Oct. 2026.[1] | ||
| Skill games | Not authorized | South Carolina has no licensing regime for "skill game"/grey machines comparable to Pennsylvania's or Georgia's. Section 12-21-2710 bans coin machines with a free-play/payout feature used for poker, blackjack, keno, lotto, bingo or craps regardless of a skill element; nonpayout amusement devices remain licensable under §12-21-2720. In 1998, the SC Supreme Court held in Johnson v. Collins Entertainment Co. (Op. No. 24858) that Type II/III video gaming machines did not themselves constitute unconstitutional lotteries, but that ruling predates the 2000 statutory payout ban and was expressly interlocutory.[4],[13] | ||
| Card rooms | Not authorized | No license category for stand-alone poker/card rooms; banked and table card games for money are prohibited under §16-19-40 and §16-19-50 outside the private social-game exception in §16-19-60.[1] | ||
| Lottery couriers | Contested | The Education Lottery Act "neither expressly prohibit[s], nor even address[es] lottery courier services" (SC AG opinion, April 17, 2024, requested by Rep. Chris Murphy), leaving the question to the Lottery Commission. The Commission has historically relied on a 1989 "Gossett" opinion to treat couriers as prohibited, and no licensed courier (e.g. Jackpocket) currently operates in the state. Senate Bill S.169 (2025-2026) originally would have banned couriers outright and required in-person sales only, but the Senate Education Committee's Feb. 12, 2025 report recommended deleting that section.[14],[15] | ||
| Pick'em fantasy | Not authorized | Player-vs-house pick'em fantasy formats face higher legal risk than peer-to-peer DFS because they more closely resemble sports wagering under §16-19-130; no specific statute or enforcement action confirmed as of 2026.[1],[10] | ||
| Pari-mutuel | Prohibited | No licensed live horse or dog racing or pari-mutuel wagering facilities exist in South Carolina; wagering on races/pools is covered by the general betting and bookmaking prohibition (§16-19-130). Repeated bills to create a South Carolina Equine Advancement Act and racing commission (e.g. H.1128 2021-2022, H.3514 2023-2024) have not passed.[1] | ||
| Advance deposit wagering | Not authorized | No advance deposit wagering statute exists; proposed ADW licensing has only appeared inside the same failed Equine Advancement Act bills covering live racing.[1] | ||
| Charitable gaming | Live | 1996 | Competitive | SCDOR licenses nonprofit charitable bingo under eight-plus license classes (AA $4,000, B $1,000, C/C-Hard Cards free for volunteer-run games, D-Fair $100-$200, E $500, F $100, and a Catawba Indian Special class at $4,000), plus promoter, paper-manufacturer, electronic-ticket manufacturer and distributor licenses. Nonprofits must be SC-registered for 3+ years with 501(c) status and may hold only one license. Administrative violations are subject to penalties and discretionary license revocation under SCDOR guidelines. S.C. Code Title 12-21, Article 24 (Bingo Tax Act of 1996) [6],[16] |
| Esports betting | Not authorized | No statute authorizes wagering on esports; would fall under the general prohibitions on betting and gambling machines. H.3625 would permit esports wagering if enacted but has not passed.[1],[2] | ||
| Social casino | Live | Competitive | Free-to-play, no-cash-prize social casino apps are not "gambling" under South Carolina's consideration/prize-based definitions and operate nationally, including in SC, without state-specific licensing or restriction.[1] |
Sports betting in South Carolina: status, tax rate, sportsbooks and bills →
Tax rates
| Vertical | Channel | Rate | Base | Tier | Promos deductible | Since | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skill games | retail | Biennial state license tax on coin-operated machines under §12-21-2720: $50 for music/kiddie-ride machines, $200 for amusement/video-game machines without a free-play feature, and $4,000 for nonpayout-type machines and in-line pin games; a license does not legalize an otherwise-prohibited payout machine (§12-21-2736). | PER_MACHINE | Jun 30, 2000 | S.C. Code §12-21-2720 Applies to lawful nonpayout amusement/arcade-type devices, not to the banned video-poker payout machines covered by §12-21-2710. [4] |
Rules and requirements
Casinos
Legislation
- Summary of significant pending gambling legislation this session
- H.3625/S.444 (South Carolina Sports Wagering Act): 8 online licenses, 12.5% tax on adjusted gross receipts, min age 18; heard by committees in 2025-2026 without a floor vote, and lead House sponsor Chris Murphy resigned in January 2026. S.169: would require in-person lottery sales only and ban couriers; the courier-ban section was struck by Senate committee amendment Feb. 12, 2025, leaving the bill pending without that provision.[2],[3],[15]
Lottery
- Third-party lottery couriers permitted
- NoNot expressly banned by statute, but the Lottery Commission treats couriers as prohibited under a 1989 "Gossett" AG opinion; no courier currently operates in SC. S.169 (2025-2026) would have codified a ban before that section was struck in committee.[14],[15]
- Date lottery began sales
- 2002-01-07[9]
- Multistate games offered (Powerball
- Powerball, Mega MillionsJoined Powerball October 9, 2002 and Mega Millions January 31, 2010 under the multistate-agreement authority in §59-150-75 and §59-150-60(A)(7).[8],[9]
Minimum age
Notes
Prediction markets
- Summary of the state's action against sports event contracts (C&D
- None identified as of October 2026; no SC-specific cease-and-desist, lawsuit, or regulator statement against CFTC-registered event-contract platforms was found.[1]
Skill games
- Summary of skill-game legal status/litigation
- No licensing regime; payout-feature machines banned under §12-21-2710 since 2000 regardless of skill element; nonpayout amusement devices remain licensable under §12-21-2720.[4]
Sports betting rules
- Wagering on college sports allowed at all
- NoNo sports wagering of any kind is currently authorized.[1]
Sweepstakes
- Statute or regulator action specifically bans dual-currency online sweepstakes casinos
- NoNo statewide statutory or AG ban on dual-currency online sweepstakes casinos as of October 2026, unlike several other states' 2025 actions; legality of the underlying sweepstakes model remains contested for in-store terminals and untested for online platforms.[12]
Tax revenue
- Where gaming tax revenue goes (education fund
- Lottery net proceeds (ticket sales less prizes, retailer commissions and operating expenses) are deposited in the Education Lottery Account and used for K-12 and higher-education programs, scholarships, and school buses, per S.C. Code §59-150-170 and §59-150-20(4).[8]
Economy
- Adults 21 and over
- 4.1M (2024; 5.5M residents)
- Gambling taxes collected
- $59.3M in FY2025 · 0.31% of all state taxes
- Gambling jobs
- 664 in 2025 · $54,248 average annual pay
Gambling taxes collectedState fiscal years
$25.0M$50.0M$75.0MFY2013FY2016FY2019FY2022FY2025$59.3M
Census Bureau tax collections on amusements and pari-mutuel wagering. Most states book casino, sports betting and video gaming taxes here; amusement taxes can also include admissions taxes unrelated to gambling.
Gambling jobsAnnual average
250500750201520172019202120232025664
Casinos, casino hotels, card rooms, bingo halls, off-track betting and slot-route operators, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Racetracks are not included. Jobs at tribal casinos are counted as government jobs.
Gambling jobs by industry, 2025
| Industry | Ownership | Employers | Jobs | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gambling industries | privately owned | 54 | 553 | $49,383 |
| Casino hotels | privately owned | 6 | 111 | $78,385 |
Taxes by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Amusement taxes | Pari-mutuel taxes | Share of state taxes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $59.3M | — | 0.31% |
| FY2024 | $66.0M | — | 0.37% |
| FY2023 | $64.6M | — | 0.41% |
| FY2022 | $60.3M | — | 0.37% |
| FY2021 | $43.1M | — | 0.32% |
| FY2020 | $38.4M | — | 0.33% |
| FY2019 | $47.6M | — | 0.42% |
| FY2018 | $46.2M | — | 0.44% |
| FY2017 | $45.7M | — | 0.47% |
| FY2016 | $43.8M | — | 0.46% |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, States (NST-EST2025-ALLDATA); U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections (STC): Historical Dataset; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages, NAICS 7132 (Gambling industries)
Timeline
- Feb 2026 · Other · Sports (online)Senate companion bill S.444 receives committee hearing without a vote[3]Secondary reporting conflicts on whether S.444 cleared a full committee vote or only received a subcommittee hearing; no primary confirmation of a committee-level vote was found.
- Jan 2026 · Other · Sports (online)Rep. Chris Murphy, lead sponsor of H.3625, resigns from the SC House[3]
- Apr 2025 · Other · Sports (online)House Ways and Means subcommittee hears H.3625 testimony, takes no vote[3]
- Feb 12, 2025 · Other · Lottery couriersSenate Education Committee strikes courier-ban section from S.169[15]Favorable committee report with amendment recommends deleting the section requiring in-person-only lottery sales and prohibiting courier services.
- Jan 14, 2025 · Other · Lottery couriersS.169 introduced in the Senate, would ban lottery couriers and require in-person sales[15]
- Dec 12, 2024 · Other · Sports (online)H.3625 (South Carolina Sports Wagering Act) prefiled in the House[2]Would legalize online/mobile sports wagering via 8 licenses taxed at 12.5% of adjusted gross receipts, minimum age 18, regulated by a new State Sports Wagering Commission.
- Apr 17, 2024 · Other · Lottery couriersSC Attorney General opinion finds Education Lottery Act silent on lottery courier services[14]Issued at the request of Rep. Chris Murphy; concludes the Act neither authorizes nor prohibits courier services and leaves the determination to the Lottery Commission.S.C. Op. Att'y Gen., Apr. 17, 2024 (Murphy)
- Mar 19, 2021 · Compact Signed · Tribal casinosCatawba Indian Nation's Class III gaming compact approved for its North Carolina (not South Carolina) casino[7]The BIA approved the Catawba's compact with North Carolina for a Kings Mountain, NC casino; the tribe has no equivalent Class III compact with South Carolina.Catawba Indian Nation Tribal-State Gaming Compact (N.C.), approved by BIA Mar. 19, 2021
- Jul 27, 2012 · Other · Sweepstakes casinosDeputy AG takes position that electronic sweepstakes machines are illegal gambling[12]Reported inconsistent rulings by SC magistrates and trial courts on in-store electronic sweepstakes terminals, with the state's enforcement position and the industry's legality defense in direct conflict.
- Jan 31, 2010 · Expanded · LotterySouth Carolina Education Lottery joins Mega Millions[9]
- Oct 9, 2002 · Expanded · LotterySouth Carolina Education Lottery joins Powerball[9]
- Jan 7, 2002 · Launched · LotterySouth Carolina Education Lottery holds its first drawing[9]
- 2001 · Legalized · LotterySouth Carolina Education Lottery Act signed into law[8]2001 Act No. 59, codified at S.C. Code Title 59, Chapter 150
- Jun 30, 2000 · Prohibited · VGTs / VLTsStatewide video poker payout ban takes effect[4],[18]Section 12-21-2710, as amended by Act No. 125, becomes effective at midnight, ending licensed video poker payout machines statewide.S.C. Code §12-21-2710 (as amended by 1999 Act No. 125)
- Oct 14, 1999 · Court Ruling · VGTs / VLTsJoytime Distributors & Amusement Co. v. State strikes referendum provision but upholds payout ban[11]The SC Supreme Court held the referendum mechanism an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power to voters, but found the payout ban severable and upheld it because the legislature itself enacted it.Joytime Distributors & Amusement Co. v. State, 338 S.C. 634, 528 S.E.2d 647 (1999)
- 1999 · Restricted · VGTs / VLTsGeneral Assembly enacts Act No. 125, banning video poker machine payouts subject to a 2000 referendum[11]1999 Act No. 125
- Nov 19, 1998 · Court Ruling · VGTs / VLTsSC Supreme Court rules Type II/III video gaming machines are not unconstitutional lotteries (interlocutory)[13]Answering certified questions from federal court, the court held video poker machines did not themselves violate the state constitution's lottery ban, while stressing the ruling was interlocutory.Johnson v. Collins Entertainment Co., Op. No. 24858 (S.C. Nov. 19, 1998)
- 1996 · Regulation Adopted · Charitable gamingBingo Tax Act of 1996 enacted, creating SCDOR charitable bingo licensing[6]S.C. Code Title 12-21, Article 24
- 1986 · Legalized · VGTs / VLTsVideo poker machines licensed under coin-operated device statute[4]S.C. Code §12-21-2710 et seq. (pre-1999 version)
Regulators
- South Carolina Education Lottery Commission — Lottery, iLottery, Lottery couriers
- South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) — Charitable gaming, VGTs / VLTs
- South Carolina Office of the Attorney General — Lottery couriers, Daily fantasy, Sweepstakes casinos, Skill games
- South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) — VGTs / VLTs, Skill games, Card rooms, Sweepstakes casinos
Sources
- S.C. Code of Laws, Title 16, Chapter 19 — Gambling and Lotteries · South Carolina Legislature · statute · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
“Any person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.”
- H.3625, South Carolina Sports Wagering Act (2025-2026 session) · South Carolina General Assembly · bill · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- South Carolina Sports Betting Bill Advances as Lawmakers Push for 2026 Framework · BrightSide of News · secondary · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- S.C. Code of Laws, Title 12, Chapter 21 — Stamp and Business License Taxes (coin-operated devices, Articles 19-20) · South Carolina Legislature · statute · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
“Any person violating the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.”
- Horry County looks to double casino boat passenger surcharge · MyHorryNews.com · press · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- South Carolina Department of Revenue — Bingo · South Carolina Department of Revenue · regulator page · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
“South Carolina allows nonprofit charitable organizations, licensed by the SCDOR, to operate bingo games.”
- Catawba Indian Nation Tribal-State Gaming Compact (North Carolina), approved by BIA March 19, 2021 · U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs · compact · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- S.C. Code of Laws, Title 59, Chapter 150 — South Carolina Education Lottery Act · South Carolina Legislature · statute · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
“enter into a multi-state agreement for the sale of instant game tickets, online game tickets”
- South Carolina Education Lottery · Wikipedia · secondary · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- As other states block daily fantasy sports betting, SC remains in gray territory · Carolina News and Reporter · press · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- Johnson v. Collins Entertainment Co., Op. No. 25474 (citing Joytime Distributors & Amusement Co. v. State, 338 S.C. 634, 528 S.E.2d 647 (1999)) · South Carolina Supreme Court · court · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
“The test for severability is whether the constitutional portion of the statute remains complete in itself.”
- Electronic sweepstakes legality dispute in South Carolina · South Carolina Lawyers Weekly · press · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
“electronic sweepstakes are illegal gambling because players are paying for a chance to win money”
- Johnson v. Collins Entertainment Co., Inc., Op. No. 24858 · South Carolina Supreme Court · court · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
“Type II and III machines do not constitute lotteries in violation of the South Carolina Constitution.”
- Op. S.C. Att'y Gen., Apr. 17, 2024 (Murphy) — lottery ticket delivery service opinion · South Carolina Attorney General (Alan Wilson) · ag opinion · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
“In short, the South Carolina Education Lottery Act does not expressly prohibit, nor even address lottery courier services.”
- S.169 (2025-2026 session) · South Carolina General Assembly · bill · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
“Lottery courier services are prohibited.”
- SCDOR Revenue Procedure #14-2 — Bingo Violation Penalty Guidelines · South Carolina Department of Revenue · regulation · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
- South Carolina Education Lottery — Frequently Asked Questions · South Carolina Education Lottery · regulator page · retrieved Oct 10, 2026
“You must be 18 years of age or older to play the games of the South Carolina Education Lottery.”
- Attorney General letter to SLED re effective date of video poker payout ban · South Carolina Office of the Attorney General · ag opinion · retrieved Oct 10, 2026