Guide to South Carolina Gambling Age: Casinos, Sports Betting & More

South Carolina’s approach to gambling laws is very draconian. There are only a few forms of gaming legalized in the Palmetto State. With a checkered approach to the laws over the years, in the 90s it looked like South Carolina’s laws were being liberalized, and video poker machines could be found in abundance across the state. However, video poker machines were then made illegal and no further advancements in gambling laws were made.

For those residents of South Carolina who are fans of real money activities, there are a limited number of gaming forms they can get involved with, there is a legalized state lottery as well as Daily Fantasy Sports and a limited number of casino cruises – that while not being ‘legal’ operate by circumventing state gambling laws.

As you can see below, there isn’t a South Carolina gambling age, because all forms of gaming are illegal.

In the table above we have outlined the legal gambling ages required to participate in each form of legalized gaming in South Carolina. As you can see individuals only have to be 18 to participate in the state lottery, bingo, or Daily Fantasy Sports If there is not a legal gambling age underneath a form of real money activity then that form is most likely illegal in South Carolina.

On this page, we will discuss in further detail the gambling laws of South Carolina, as well as letting you know the legal age for each form of legalized wagering. We will also discuss in more detail the history of South Carolina’s gaming laws, and let you know if there are any changes on the horizon for them.

Casino Age in South Carolina

South Carolina’s history with gambling is one that stays true to the state’s conservative reputation. Being a part of the US’s ‘Bible Belt’ of states, South Carolina is famed for its family values and religious groups rather than its adoption of punting. In keeping with this conservative reputation, there is no legal land-based gambling in the Palmetto State.

As there is no legal form of casino gambling in South Carolina, there is no legal casino age in South Carolina. Since 1976 charitable bingo has been legal in the state, as mentioned earlier, electronic poker machines were present in the state after a loophole was discovered in the state laws. However, in 2000 this loophole was closed and the only form of land-based casino type gambling was definitively outlawed.

For those South Carolina residents who do wish to enjoy a form of casino gambling in the Palmetto State, all hope is not lost. Operating outside of state laws, two casino cruises are based off the coast of South Carolina. These ‘Cruises to Nowhere’ operate by allowing passengers to board in South Carolina waters and then cruise out to international waters where the South Carolina ban on casino gambling is no longer governing the cruises. Passengers must be over the age of 21 to board one of South Carolina’s two casino cruises.

The ‘Cruises to Nowhere’ offer passengers the full casino experience, with all casino table and card classics on offer including blackjack, roulette, poker and baccarat alongside electronic slot machines and more. While these cruises are not exactly welcomed by South Carolina, they circumvent the laws in such an effective way the state legislature currently has no ability to stop their operation.

In terms of any future gambling law amendments to South Carolina’s casino laws, it doesn’t look like the state will be making any changes any time soon. There is absolutely no interest in legalizing commercial casino gaming, and with the state also rejecting the establishment of any tribal compacts that would allow tribal casino gambling – there will be no growth in South Carolina’s casino industry anytime soon.

What are The Casinos In South Carolina that accept 18 year Olds?

There are no casinos in South Carolina that allow entry to 18-year-olds . All forms of land-based casino gambling are illegal in the Palmetto State. The only form of casino gambling available to South Carolina residents are two casino cruises operating off the coast of the state, passengers must be 21 years or older to cruise on one of the casino cruises.

For those who are over the age of 21 and who want to gamble on one of South Carolina’s two casino cruises, we’ve pulled together their names and docking addresses in the table below.

Sports Betting In South Carolina

Again, sticking to its conservative values, there is no form of legal sports betting in South Carolina. Despite the Supreme Court overturning The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act 1992 (PASPA) which then meant that sports betting could be legalized across the US, South Carolina is yet to make any definitive moves that would allow sports wagering within its borders. As there is no legal form of sports betting in South Carolina there are no legal sports betting age in the state.

The band of sports beaten In South Carolina even extends to cover pari-mutuel betting which is generally legal, even in conservative states. One form of sports wagering that isn’t definitively legal or illegal within South Carolina is Daily Fantasy Sports. Daily Fantasy Sports operates within the state under a cloud of implied legality – we will discuss Daily Fantasy Sports legality and its presence in South Carolina later on this page.

In 2019 a Bill was introduced to the state legislature by Senator Gerald Malloy which champions the legalization of games of chance, sports betting, and pari-mutuel wagering. The introduction of this bill by Malloy heralds a changing of the guard within South Carolina’s state legislature. Previously there have been zero attempts by any senator representing the state to legalize any major popular form of gambling. While it doesn’t look like this proposed bill will pass into state law anytime soon, the mere fact that it has been tabled in front of South Carolina’s state legislature is an essential first step in attempting to change the states established conservative approach to gambling.

SC Online Gambling Age

As you may have guessed, online gambling in all forms is illegal in South Carolina. South Carolina has some of the most draconian and restrictive laws in the US, as already established on this page there are no legal forms of traditional real money games in the state. As casinos are not yet legal that would seem incongruous that online casino games would be legal before any land-based format was. As there are no legal forms of online wagering in South Carolina there is no legal online gambling age.

Residents of South Carolina may have noticed that there are still online casinos and poker rooms that are accessible within the state. While residents may be able to easily access such online gambling sites there are several things they should be wary of before attempting to gamble on them.

The online gambling sites that South Carolina residents can access are generally offshore sites, this means that the website itself is based offshore and run by offshore entities. As these websites are run by offshore entities the sites themselves will not be licensed or registered within the US. lack of licensing in the US means that if any player on the website encounters any difficulties or should the site shut down suddenly players will have zero recourse against the offshore entities under US consumer protection laws.

Further, online gambling in all forms is illegal in South Carolina therefore playing at an online casino or an online sportsbook is considered a crime. Should a resident of South Carolina be caught playing on an offshore gambling website they run the risk of being prosecuted for a crime.

Unfortunately for the online punters, there doesn’t look to be any movement within the South Carolina state legislature that would indicate online gaming could be made legal in the near future. Fans will have to wait for the states to relax it’s in-person gambling restrictions before they will say any traction gained in the online wagering arena.

Poker Gambling Age

As all forms of online gambling are illegal it goes without saying that online poker is also illegal within South Carolina. Sadly, for fans of the world’s most popular card game, in-person poker games are also illegal. It is even illegal to play poker socially if any wagering takes place under South Carolina’s strict gambling laws. As there is no form of legal poker within South Carolina there is no legal gambling age for poker within the state.

As is the case with online gambling as a whole there does not look to be any enthusiasm within South Carolina state legislature towards legalizing poker anytime soon. So fans of poker who are looking to play in the US should probably look to booking a flight to another state where online poker is legal such as Nevada, New Jersey, or Delaware.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily Fantasy Sports is neither legal or illegal in South Carolina. In what seems to be an established route for daily fantasy sports operators across the US, operations have claimed implied legality for Daily Fantasy Sports within South Carolina and have established operations within the state on this basis

The implied legality discussed above is argued to be that as Daily Fantasy Sports is not a form of gambling and therefore is not governed by South Carolina is strict gaming laws. The rationale behind Daily Fantasy Sports not fitting into the state’s definition of gambling is that Daily Fantasy Sports is a game of skill rather than chance – This definition has been backed up at a federal level as well with declarations being made that Daily Fantasy Sports this is a game of skill.

There have been discussions of Daily Fantasy Sports within South Carolina’s state legislature however there is yet to be a formal law passed that entrenches the game’s legality within the state’s legislature. However, South Carolina is most likely looking to states that have legalized Daily Fantasy Sports, such as Pennsylvania, and definitely making note of the millions and dollars in revenue brought in Through taxation of the Daily Fantasy Sports operators. South Carolina’s state legislature will have a steep hill to climb if they wish to pass laws to legalize daily fantasy sports is there several strong conservative interest groups within the state who oppose all forms of gambling.

Legal Age to Play the Lottery in South Carolina

South Carolina has a very popular South Carolina Education Lottery, the lottery has been legal in South Carolina since 2001 and is still limited to in-person ticket purchasing only – there have been no steps to create an online lottery. the legal South Carolina gambling age to participate in the state lottery is 18 years old.

South Carolina’s education lottery has been incredibly popular and lucrative for the state across the years. The revenue raised from the purchase of lottery tickets as reinvested within South Carolina’s education system, this community-minded investment within the stage has meant that the lottery has avoided any confrontations with the hugely influential community-minded conservative family values lobbying groups that are hugely active within the state.

Despite the Supreme court’s reinterpretation of the Federal Wire Act 1961 in 2001, which allowed for online lotteries, in keeping with South Carolina’s distaste for online gambling the state is yet to legalize an online lottery. the lack of an online lottery does not seem to perturb South Carolina’s residents, there are many forms of lottery games that residents can participate in All of which are hugely popular including the multijurisdictional favorites Powerball, Mega Millions and Lucky For Life.

For now, it looks like South Carolina’s lottery will remain and in-person undertaking. As there are still several forms of popular gambling Beth are not yet legal in their land-based forms it will probably be a while before South Carolina’s state legislature turns its head towards considering online gambling in all its forms including an online lottery.

South Carolina Gambling Laws & Future Outlook

As mentioned throughout this page South Carolina’s gambling laws are very strict and many types of gaming remain illegal under the state’s statutes. South Carolina’s gaming laws can be found in the South Carolina code of laws under 16 – 19 – 40. these laws define gambling as ‘playing card or dice games; Roly Poly; Rouge noir; Pharaoh; Or at any gaming tables or gaming devices’. Further investigation into the laws also illuminates more clearly the restrictions on real money activities and extends illegality to cover eating, pool selling, bookmaking, and the like.

As there are a few forms of gambling available in South Carolina it is hard to get a good gauge of the gaming economy. The most important and lucrative form of placing a wager for the state is the South Carolina educational lottery which Rakes and millions of dollars each year to help fund the state’s education system. Other forms of popular gaming within the state such as daily fantasy sports is yet to contribute economically to the state as there are no laws governing its operation Within South Carolina’s borders.

There are taxes applied to state lottery winnings within South Carolina. Any winning above the value of $5000 is subject to both federal and state taxes with the respective rates being 25% and 7%, meaning that large lottery winnings within South Carolina will be taxed at 32%.

As we have mentioned at length throughout this page, South Carolina’s laws are incredibly restrictive when it comes to gambling. This makes total sense as South Carolina is considered one of the more conservative states within the US. With few forms of legal real money activities available, in fact, the only form of popular gaming accessible to South Carolina residents is the state lottery, gambling is not a popular pastime within the state.

As there doesn’t seem to be any groundswell of support towards amending South Carolina’s state gambling laws, the state legislature does not feel any pressure to act on amending laws anytime soon. In fact, as they are many conservative lobbying groups active within the state we should not expect to see any major gambling will reform within South Carolina anytime soon.

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope that this page has provided a good introduction There is no South Carolina gambling age-associated to any form of legal gambling. Should you have any additional questions please take a look at the answers to the most frequently asked questions below.