We don't have to tell you that nothing but negative South Carolina betting news has been coming in. Earlier this year, another effort to get things legalized fell through, which added to the anger for citizens. To make things even worse, nearby North Carolina  got things across the line not too long ago and things have been flourishing. With that, it's safe to say that South Carolina's betting delay is made worse with NC's success. Can anyone argue with that?

According to new data that was just released, North Carolina saw a year-over-year growth of 36 percent for the month of June, with a total sports betting handle of more than $500 million. That's an insane amount of money, but it's also not a huge surprise as everyone was engulfed with the World Cup. While North Carolina didn't host any games, betting on the major event was huge, leading up all the way to Spain winning the title.

While the official overall sports betting numbers for North Carolina aren't out yet, we can go ahead and assume that the stats there were pretty dang strong as well. This is going to prove to be another massive win for the state, which of course is going to provide plenty of envy for people in South Carolina. The fact that SC hasn't been able to make any positive changes is infuriating, especially with so many close states getting things done.

North Carolina has been able to have major success because online sports betting is fully legal too. In the USA, there are 34 states with legal online wagers, and 39 with at least in-person sports betting. South Carolina is one of 11 states without either, which is tragic to see. It will be interesting to see if history can potentially be made in 2027, but things aren't clear at all there. Meanwhile, North Carolina is putting together serious betting numbers.

Illegal sports betting and prediction markets betting being on the rise

While South Carolina isn't showing much urgency for the sports betting push, it has resulted with illegal sports betting and prediction markets betting being on the rise. This obviously is not good for the state, especially when it comes to the illegal activity. Authorities are doing their best to shut down sports betting rings.

However, it's virtually impossible to crack down on everything, which has opened the door for some bookies to thrive too. This was surely on full display during the World Cup, as soccer betting indeed was high not just in South Carolina, but all over the United States for that matter. Plenty of people bet big on the USA, though Mauricio Pochettino and Co. lost to Belgium in the Round of 16.

As for the prediction markets, this is a way for people to place online bets in the state. Since things are approved at a Federal level, no laws are broken if people use Kalshi or PolyMarket. Despite this, officials in the state are hoping for things to get clamped down, though there also isn't much urgency there either. Only time will tell if things are fixed there, but the ultimate fix, from our chair, could not be more clear.

Will South Carolina sports betting arrive in 2027?

A big question that people have on their minds right now is will South Carolina sports betting arrive in 2027? Unfortunately we don't have a clear answer for you there, but a main worry is that the opposition will continue to throw cold water over the idea. However, what could help out the efforts is a change in Governor.

That's right, current Governor Henry McMaster is in his last term, and he's set to be out of office next year. Could this potentially open the door for some sports betting momentum? It's bad enough that there will be no legal NFL betting this fall, but the hope is that won't be the case by the time September of '27 gets here.

McMaster has been known for being a big hater when it comes to legal sports betting, but whoever replaced him could end up moving things in the right direction. Change in office could truly be a good thing, but nothing is set in stone there. Could a potential candidate win over some voters if he voices his approval for legal sports betting? Potentially, as that will certainly be something to keep a close eye on.