Best Casinos in South Carolina
Casinos in South Carolina are certainly not as big or as flashy as popular gambling states in the US. In fact, the state is not a gambling-friendly state. With that said, players in the state can enjoy spending time at table games or spinning reels. How? Well, the state does not have any land-based casinos, but thanks to a loophole, casino operators have taken gain of the US nautical law and offer offshore gambling to players over the age of 21. Gambling in the Palmetto State happens 3 miles off the coast and into international waters. The casinos in South Carolina are riverboats that venture off into intention waters where gambling is permitted and not against state and federal jurisdiction.
Players who intend of visiting the state to explore the gambling industry in the state may want to rethink their decision. Apart from the riverboat gambling option are few and far between. It seems as though the stringent gambling laws in the Palmetto state will not be changing soon, and players will have to make the most of the riverboats. South Carolina has a rich gambling history, which may shock many players. Our team of experts has put together a thorough South Carolina gambling guide players can use to understand the state of gambling in the state fully.
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Is Gambling Legal In South Carolina?
Most forms of gambling are prohibited in South Carolina. Slots and Video poker machines have been banned in the state. South Carolina also does not have a state gaming commission as casino gaming is illegal in the state. In terms of restrictive gambling laws, South Carolina is up there. There are very few gambling forms that are allowed in the state, such as bingo and the lottery.
The only place to gamble in SC besides the state lottery is on the Big M Casino Cruise.
Casinos in South Carolina
Vegas-styled gambling is only available on two luxury yachts operated by The Big “M” Casino in Little River. The yachts travel into international waters and offer a number of gambling options. Players can enjoy slot games as well as various table games.
Ship 1 has 158 slot machines and ship 2 and just over 240 slots. Both ships over craps, blackjack, roulette, 3-card poker and let it ride table games. The ships cruise year-round and have an optional buffet.
The other gambling establishments in South Carolina include the Catawba Bingo Hall which operated by the Catawba Native American tribe. The bingo hall is located in Rock Hill.
South Carolina Lottery
South Carolina is limited to charitable bingo as well as the lottery as these are currently the only gambling offered with state borders. Charitable bingo games are played under strict rules. The game is only permitted to charge players a set entry-amount and the prize pool has to be announced prior to the games night. Charitable bingo games are also prohibited from being based on the prize pool.
The South Carolina lottery only sells lotto drawing tickets as well as scratch cards. Players can table part in popular lottery titles such as the Powerball and the Mega Millions. The largest lottery winning in South Carolina was in 2019 amounting to $1.5 Million. The lottery is run to benefit educational interest in the state.
Online Gambling in South Carolina
Currently, as it stands there are no forms of online gambling that have been legalized. The state laws have only identified three legal gambling forms: raffles, lottery, and bingo. Online gambling is not the list of legal gambling forms, therefore, making it illegal. However, there are no laws that explicitly state gambling online as illegal. Players in the Palmetto state can place bets at offshore sites that are licensed and regulated.
There are various daily fantasy sports sites that accept players from South Carolina. After a prolonged court case poker is confirmed to be a game of chance rather than skill. The ruling means that online poker and land-based poker both remain forbidden in the state
History of Gambling In South Carolina
There was a time when casinos in South Carolina were more popular than those in Nevada, the same goes for the gambling industry. There were several casinos situated across the state. In 1788 the state banned all gambling forms, and only in the 1900s did the state get back into the gambling industry. In 1976 the Bingo act was passed, which allowed players to take part in charitable games the games would, however, have to be under strict rules. 2001 marked the start of the state lottery. Gambling cruises were legalized after voters rejected tribal gambling establishments in 2003.