Casinos in South Carolina
South Carolina definitely isn’t the most thrilling place to live in for a true gambling aficionado. There are no land-based or Native American casinos located within the borders of the state, which means that South Carolina residents who enjoy gambling are pretty much forced to board the local casino ships, which are allowed to begin accepting bets only after they are at least three miles away from the coast. Even worse, the state doesn’t have any race tracks or a regulated online gaming industry, which means that the only way to engage in regulated gambling on the mainland is to take part in the state-owned lottery or join a charity gambling event.
South Carolina Gambling Laws
Even though all gambling-related regulations are covered by the South Carolina Code of Laws Title 32, the local gambling law is widely considered to be rather outdated and contradictory. South Carolina is one of the few states that still penalize players from taking part in home card games as long as there’s any betting involved. On a brighter note, South Carolina has no regulations pertaining specifically to gambling online, which means that players are pretty much free to register at offshore casino sites, such as WinPalace or Bovada. As is often the case, state officials may always argue that the current regulations extend to online casino games, but the truth is that the local law enforcement isn’t even remotely interested in going after online casino customers.
Online Casinos
South Carolina doesn’t have a regulated intrastate online casino industry, which means that casino enthusiasts remaining within the borders of the state don’t have any US-licensed sites to play on. As you’d expect, most of the local gambling aficionados flock to offshore gambling sites, which are quite notorious for offering some of the best welcome bonuses and VIP promotions in the entire industry. Quite obviously, not every US-facing offshore casino is trustworthy or 100% reliable. If you’re an inexperienced gambler, we recommend sticking to the sites that have been already vetted by our online casino experts to ensure that you won’t have to deal with any delayed withdrawals or outright scam attempts.
Offshore Casino Sites That Accept South Carolina Players
South Carolina residents are free to access any of the US-facing offshore casino sites, which gives them access to some of the latest slots and table games designed with leading casino software developers, such as Real Time Gaming or BetSoft. Unfortunately, none of those sites offer titles from the Microgaming or Playtech library, as those games are available almost exclusively for sites that operate on European or Asian markets.
South Carolina gamblers usually fund their on-site accounts via a credit card payment due to the fact that popular e-wallet services don’t process offshore gambling-related transactions in the United States. Visa and MasterCard have been reported to have the highest acceptance rates, but some American Express cards might also work. Alternatively, some sites support money order deposits made via Western Union or MoneyGram, but keep in mind that using this method requires you to cover the additional expenses, including the transaction fees. Cashing out is almost always handled with a bank wire transfer, but some sites might allow you to withdraw via a check by courier or even Western Union/MoneyGram.
Developing Legal Scenarios
South Carolina definitely isn’t up to speed with the latest trends when it comes to state-level gambling legislation. The local lawmakers are currently mulling over legalizing home games, while most of the other states are discussing opening new intrastate online gambling sites or the possibility of creating an interstate network that would allow the local businesses to compete with the offshore casino sites. Consequently, it’s extremely unlikely for South Carolina to introduce i-gaming friendly regulations in the foreseeable future.
