South Carolina lawmakers continue to introduce SC sports betting bills, even if passage is a long shot in 2025.
Sen. Tom Davis introduced Senate Bill 444 earlier this month to legalize SC sports betting. It was assigned to the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee.
The bill is identical to Rep. Chris Murphy’s House Bill 3625. Murphy introduced his proposal in December, but the Ways and Means Committee has not moved the bill. Murphy also introduced a bill to legalize casinos in South Carolina.
SC sports betting framework
SB 444 would create up to eight online sports betting licenses and set the legal age at 18.
Interested operators would need to be licensed in at least five other markets and pay a $100,000 application fee before the $1 million license fee. The five jurisdictions would allow for “immediate commencement of sports wagering operations through a temporary license.”
South Carolina would tax sports betting revenue at 12.5%. The legislation would also create the South Carolina Sports Wagering Commission to regulate the industry.
Uphill battle in South Carolina
There has been little interest in legalizing sports betting in South Carolina. As with many southern states, various conservative parties oppose it heavily.
That includes Gov. Henry McMaster, who has campaigned against gambling in the past. McMaster is in office until 2027.
Mark Nagel, a sports management professor at the University of South Carolina, previously told LSR that as the more states surrounding South Carolina legalize, the more pressure will build on lawmakers. Georgia is the key state in that equation, according to Nagel.
South Carolina interest grows
During the 2024 NFL season, GeoComply tracked more than 100% year-over-year growth in active South Carolina sports betting accounts in legal markets.
The Palmetto State saw 436.67% growth in accounts to 365,808. During the NFL season, the company tracked 7.7 million checks from the accounts.
“The remarkable year-over-year increase in active accounts from South Carolina is directly linked to North Carolina’s launch of statewide mobile sports betting in 2024,” a GeoComply post read. “This data point alone provides clear evidence of how legalized sports betting in one state can influence consumer behavior in neighboring states.”
