Officials Remain Wary of South Carolina Sports Betting

Support for South Carolina sports betting appears to be on the rise.

The latest attempt comes in the form of the Sports Wagering Act, and despite not being outright successful, the bill has made plenty of progress during discussions among legislature members. The biggest sign of changing tides? Bi-partisan support. The initiative is being driven by members of The Palmetto State legislature from both sides of the aisle, democrats and conservatives alike.

Still, the bar for approval remains high. And South Carolina sports betting advocates recognize there’s a long way to go.

Finding a middle ground remains key. Certain opponents of sports betting in South Carolina believe it is morally repulsive, and they may not ever be swayed. But other officials are focused more on the functional downsides.

“Certainly, I’m not for it passing,” Representative John McCravy, a Republican, recently said, per Caroline Yaffa of CBS 7. “But if it did pass, it would certainly need a lot of work to avoid some of these unintended consequences.”

McCravy was not on the committee tasked with overseeing the bill. But his thoughts are shared by others. The question is: What are the potential unintended consequences of legal South Carolina sports betting?

Problem Gambling is Atop the List of South Carolina Sports Betting Concerns

It isn’t hard to predict the biggest unintended consequence of South Carolina sports betting. It is the prospective rise of problem gambling. And it isn’t an issue unique to The Palmetto State. It is fallout from the growing popularity of legal online sports betting in the United States at large.

Multiple studies have been conducted on the subject. While sports betting in the USA is not nearly established enough to draw irreversible conclusions, the overarching data suggests that every state with legal gambling experiences an uptick in problem gambling. Furthermore, additional studies show there may be a correlation between the legalization of sports betting and the decline in savings and the rise in reported bankruptcies.

Entirely eradicating this issue is impossible. There will always be inherent trade-offs in consumer well-being if South Carolina sports betting gets legalized. But the thinking goes, according to supporters, that it’s safer to regulate a market that already exists.

To this end, those advocates have a point. South Carolina sports betting laws do not prevent residents from actually gambling. They use offshore online sports betting sites or travel across state lines into markets that have legalized it. The launch of North Carolina sports betting, in particular, has made it more accessible to residents of The Palmetto State.

That’s the other side of this coin. Even if there are interminable risks associated with South Carolina sports betting, many officials are willing to overlook it. They believe the state is missing out on a ton of tax revenue from residents already partaking in it. This feeling has strengthened with sports betting now live in The Tar Heel State. Many, in fact, seem to believe North Carolina sports betting will be the development that pushes South Carolina to join the 40 other states that have legalized gambling.

The South Carolina Governor Remains Against Sports Betting

Perhaps the biggest obstacle of all for South Carolina sports betting, though, remains Governor Henry McMaster. As Yaffa writes:

“Despite progress, Governor Henry McMaster’s stance on the idea has not changed.’Gambling is bad for our culture,’ he said. ‘It’s not a part of our heritage and there is a better way to make money to give [people] jobs.’ If McMaster vetoes the bill, lawmakers could still pass it by overriding his decision. McMaster will remain in office through the end of 2026.”

The “heritage” comment here is objectively bizarre. The Internet is not part of the United States’ general heritage. Should it be banned as well?

To be sure, this is not an attempt to downplay legitimate concerns. There is a real debate to be had about the merits and potential pitfalls of South Carolina sports betting. But it deserves to be a discussion. And as many like to point out, they think voters should have the right to choose for themselves.

Of course, in some ways, South Carolinians may have already made their stance on sports betting known. McMaster has run on a platform that denounces sports betting numerous times. Voters have elected and re-elected him during that process. This could signal a larger sentiment on the sports betting subject.

If South Carolina Legalizes Sports Betting, It’s Not Happening Until After 2026

At the same time, sports gambling in the United States is so common now, we would be remiss to make any sweeping assumptions. By the end of the year, 40 of the 50 states will offer some form of sports betting. Additionally, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have green lit, too. Interest among voters and officials is widespread.

Regardless, it doesn’t seem as if there will be any legislation passed through the Senate until Governor McMaster is out of office. His current term will run through 2026, so nobody should expect any serious change in policies until after that. And this assumes the person who follows him is on board with South Carolina sports betting. If they share similar sentiments, sports betting in The Palmetto State could remain banned through at least the end of the decade, if not much, much longer.

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