Posted date: December 17, 2024 10:04.
Last updated: December 17, 2024, 10:18am.
South Carolina’s 2025 legislative session begins next month, but one state lawmaker has already proposed a sports betting bill, marking at least the fourth attempt to bring this form of gambling to the state.
Former South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler in a 2023 game. South Carolina Representative Chris Murphy is once again pushing for sports betting legislation in the state. (Image: Associated Press)
Dorchester County Republican Rep. Chris Murphy recently introduced House Bill 3625 (HB 3625), also known as the South Carolina Gaming Act. If approved and signed into law, it would bring a regulated sports betting market to a state that has long been reluctant to expand gaming.
One interesting element of Murphy’s bill is that, assuming HB 3625 becomes law, minors (defined as those under the age of 18) would not be able to meet the minimum age required by Palmetto State legislation to wager on sports. That’s not true. Of the 39 jurisdictions in the United States that currently allow sports betting, only Kentucky, New Hampshire, Washington DC, and Wyoming allow 18-year-olds to bet.
“Sports Betting” means a business that accepts bets on a sporting event or any portion of a sporting event, individual performance statistics at a sporting event, or any combination thereof by any betting system or method approved by the Director. According to Murphy’s proposal, mobile applications and digital platforms that use a mobile sports betting licensee’s communications technology to accept wagers.
The bill would also legalize daily fantasy sports (DFS) in the state.
South Carolina has a creepy history of sports betting
Earlier this year, Murphy sponsored another sports betting bill, but that proposal failed to make much headway. Last year, two sports betting bills, including one aimed at strengthening the state’s horse racing industry, gained traction in the House, but both died without even getting a vote in the Senate.
The same fate befell the 2022 sports betting bill, with Gov. Henry McMaster (R-S.C.) opposing gambling expansion and suggesting it could be heavy lifting for South Carolina next year. There is. Still, Murphy’s latest bill has bipartisan support.
Some believe the sports betting landscape in South Carolina could change next year as neighboring North Carolina reaches a level where sports betting can generate revenue. On the other hand, North Carolina has twice the population of its neighbor to the south, so it may not be fair to compare the two states in terms of sports betting revenue.
The ins and outs of South Carolina’s sports betting bill
Murphy’s bill proposes creating the South Carolina Sports Wagering Commission as a regulatory authority to oversee sports betting in the state. The law also calls for a 12.5% tax rate, the most favorable rate in the country.
If HB 3625 is signed into law, eight licensees will be able to operate in the state, but since South Carolina has no casinos, the industry’s biggest competition will likely be the state lottery.
Based on population, South Carolina is larger than other states that offer mobile betting, including Louisiana, Kentucky, Connecticut, Iowa, and Kansas.
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