South Carolina has a limited selection of casinos. In most cases, SC residents will have to make the long drive north to neighboring North Carolina in order to get their fill of slots and table games.
South Carolina isn’t as restrictive as states like Utah or Hawaii when it comes to casinos, but you will have to look hard to find roulette or blackjack for real cash.
However, there is a popular lottery in the state (South Carolina Education Lottery), which began in 2002. South Carolina is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association, so residents are eligible to play for life-changing prizes in games like Powerball. South Carolina is one of a handful of US states where pari-mutuel betting on horse racing is also prohibited.
Online sports betting in South Carolina is not legal as the Palmetto State is one of the most conservative in the union. You won’t find any sportsbooks here. There has been the loose talk of legalizing both sports gambling as well as casino gambling but no legislation has made it very far in the statehouse. Sportsbooks either online or on-land seem to be years away as we are just in the infant stages of legalized online gambling in South Carolina. Maybe, it all happens in 2020.
The only casinos in the state of South Carolina are of the cruise-line variety and there are several in operation along the coast. These casinos are actually on cruise ships which sail out to international waters where playing casino games is perfectly legal. As mentioned, there has been activity in the statehouse concerning legalized on-shore casinos. However, this will require a change to the state’s constitution which means it could still be years away.
All forms of poker are also illegal in South Carolina so you’ll find no poker rooms in the state. Online poker, of course, is very popular everywhere in the U.S. regardless of legality and, just like numerous other states, to play online poker in South Carolina you must use an off-shore site.
The South Carolina Lottery is a fine legal gambling option for the very conservative state and offers plenty of games including scratch-offs to drawings. They have national games such as Mega Millions and Powerball and also offer South Carolina-centric lottos such as Palmetto Cash 5.
One form of gambling the state doesn’t seem to mind is that of fantasy sports. Outside of regulatory DFS legislation brought in 2017, South Carolina has really ignored the fantasy sports wagering industry, allowing it to operate freely in the state. That legislation ultimately failed and there has been little effort to pursue the matter any further.
Live horse racing is legal in South Carolina and there are even a few major tracks. The Carolina Cup is a big stop on the circuit and has a rich history. However, at the track is the only place you can lay a wager on the ponies as online horse race wagering is illegal. Many sites, off-shore or not, will not accept South Carolina money on their platforms.
10 Biggest cities in South Carolina for online gambling: