As of this writing, there are 33 states in the USA who have managed to get online sports betting locked in, with Wisconsin being the latest to join the efforts. South Carolina has been working tirelessly in recent years to get things done, but nothing positive has come in. And with that said, it's safe to say that the South Carolina sports betting push remains stuck with no progress. Are things going to change here down the road?

That's what people all over the state are hoping for, as nothing but rough South Carolina betting news has been consistently presented. Most recently, the state was trying to move forward with a sports betting bill, which was labeled Senate Bill 444. While at first there was some positive movement with things, things have not progressed the way people were hoping they would by this point. That only adds to the anger for so many people.

With this particular bill, there was a hearing for it earlier this year, but again, no positive progress was made. With the SB 444, there'd be a 12.5 percent tax for sports betting, which would of course create plenty of revenue for the state. This would be a major positive for South Carolina as a whole, but there remains to be plenty of opposition. On top of the betting revenue, this particular bill would also keep the amount of sports betting operators to eight.

On paper, it seemed like a strong bill and local citizens were excited for the wheels to move in the right direction. Despite that, things could not be more unclear there and South Carolina remains behind in terms of getting things over the line. For now, there are 39 total states with legal betting, including the 33 with online options. South Carolina has no sports betting period, which needs to change soon.

North Carolina's sports betting success makes things worse for South Carolina

With things a bit in flux here, don't forget that North Carolina's sports betting success makes things worse for South Carolina. For the month of April alone, North Carolina recorded a sports betting handle of more than $594 million, which speaks to the popularity for the state's betting efforts. April was always going to be a big month, as people were consistently checking the NHL betting sites for the latest odds on the Carolina Hurricanes.

With such a strong betting handle, it should be no surprise at all that the tax revenue reached 64.5 million. That's a massive chunk of change and it shows the benefits of having legal sports betting around. North Carolina has seen nothing but success since things were originally launched. At first, there was also some pushback and opposition, but now that things are available state-wide, we are seeing the impact of things.

Why does this matter for South Carolina? Because it's time for officials to take note of the growing tax revenue and betting handle numbers. While we're not saying that SC would have the same kind of success that NC is having, it's clear that the potential is there for South Carolina to also post large numbers if things do get legalized down the road. It will be interesting to see if things will tilt the other way in 2027, but no one knows how things will go.

Governor Henry McMaster is not a fan of the legal sports betting idea

One thing in particular that could keep getting in South Carolina's way is that Governor Henry McMaster is not a fan of the legal sports betting idea. On several occasions, the SC Governor has made it quite clear that he's against things, as he's worried that it could have a negative impact on the state's culture. He has cited family issues and a worry for gambling addiction to reach a concerning level among sports fans.

These are valid concerns, sure, but the fact of the matter here is that people are still going to find a way to make sports bets if that's what they want to do. We're seeing a growth in prediction markets betting in South Carolina, as sports wagers are on the rise with that platform. This just shows the popularity for sports betting, while also shining a light on the need for things to be regulated.

The Senate Bill that's currently on the table seems like a promising one, but with things in a bit of a standstill, no one knows what the future holds for sports betting. South Carolina is one of only 11 states without legal sports betting. Will that end up changing in the next year or so? It's tough to say, which is not great.