The legalization of sports betting is once again on the docket in South Carolina. A hearing before the Labor, Commerce, and Industry Committee of the South Carolina legislature to open discussions about
Senate Bill S444
is scheduled to get underway on Wednesday, February 18.
The bill, known as the South Carolina Sports Wagering Act, would legalize interactive sports betting in the state.
Two Republican State Senators - Tom Davis and Matthew Leber - are co-sponsors of the bill. Among the terms of the bill would be the creation of the South Carolina Sports Wagering Commission (SCSWC). This group would serve as regulators and licensees who would oversee all sports betting operations in the state.
Bill S444
calls for the state
to issue licenses to as many as eight online sports betting operators. To be eligible for a South Carolina sports betting license, each operator that applies must already have a sports betting presence in a minimum of five US legal and regulated sports betting markets.
Licensing applications would cost $100,000, while a sports betting licensing fee would be $1 million. Licenses would be valid for five years.
South Carolina would set the legal betting age for sports betting at 18 years old. In the majority of states, that bar is set at 21. Bill S444 would also permit wagering on college sports. Only online sports betting would be legalized. There would be no retail sports betting in South Carolina.
The adjusted tax rate on sports betting revenue would be set at 12.5% of each site’s gross revenue. That is the total handle wagered minus winnings paid out and any promotional spending.
Over 80% of all tax money collected by the government would be earmarked for the state’s general fund. A state general fund is the primary operating fund for a state government. It covers the majority of a state government’s daily services and expenditures.
Smaller percentages of the tax revenue garnered from sports betting would go to mental health initiatives, to municipal governments in the state, and to cover all administrative and operating expenses of the SCSWC.
South Carolina will be the first state to hold a sports betting legalization hearing in 2026
South Carolina will be the first US state government in 2026 to open discussions about the legalization of sports betting. However, just because they are the first to do so, that doesn’t mean legalization of sports betting is foremost on the minds of the majority of South Carolina legislators.
This isn’t the first attempt to legalize sports betting in the Palmetto State. Last year, Republican Rep. Chris Murphy introduced House Bill 3625 last year. It was also an attempt to legalize sports betting in South Carolina. The bill was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. However, it never advanced beyond the subcommittee stage.
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