Is Gambling Legal in South Carolina? SC Laws in 2026

What gambling is legal in South Carolina?

Permission depends on the actual game and how it operates. A charity label, private address or accessible website is not enough.^[1][7][6]

Activity	Position	Main condition
State Lottery	Position Legal	Main condition Retail purchases require 18; gifts follow separate rules.[4][8]
Land casinos and gambling machines	Position No licensed casino market	Main condition Device prohibitions apply.[3][9]
Online casino and poker	Position No state-licensed market	Main condition Offshore access does not establish permission.[1]
Sports betting	Position No state-licensed market	Main condition H 3625 remains proposed law.[1][2]
Horse wagering	Position Restricted by current law	Main condition Proposed reforms have not established authorization.[1][10]
Private poker for money	Position No blanket exemption	Main condition Organized home games can violate gaming law.[7]
Bingo	Position Licensed or qualifying free play	Main condition Payment and licensing conditions differ.[5][11]
Nonprofit raffles	Position Conditional permission	Main condition Registered and exempt categories have different limits.[6]
Tribal gaming	Position Special conditional framework	Main condition Bingo provisions do not establish operating casinos.[12]
Casino cruises	Position Geographic distinction	Main condition Gaming is not authorized in state waters.[13]
Fantasy and sweepstakes	Position Separate unresolved questions	Main condition Labels do not establish permission.[2][14]
Prediction contracts	Position Distinct federal framework	Main condition No blanket state-law answer established.[15][16]

Casinos, tribal gaming and casino cruises

South Carolina does not have a state-licensed land casino market. Nearby casinos and departing gambling boats require separate explanations.^[3][17][13]

Is sports betting legal in South Carolina?

Sports betting is not authorized through a South Carolina-licensed sportsbook market. An app accepting South Carolina customers does not make it an authorized sportsbook.^[1][2]

H 3625 proposes a Sports Wagering Act, including mobile licensing provisions. Its reviewed official record does not establish enactment. A proposed regulator, player age or start date is not an existing permission to wager.^[2]

Check the official H 3625 record for legislative status. Our US sports betting guide explains the differences between states.

Is online gambling legal in South Carolina?

South Carolina has no state-licensed real-money online casino or online poker market. An offshore licence does not supply South Carolina authorization.^[1][3]

Other online products require their own analysis. Lottery internet sales are prohibited by retailer conditions; the proposed horse-account framework has not become an authorized market. Fantasy and prediction contracts have different unresolved issues, discussed below.^{[2][10][19][15]}

A physical cruise does not create an online casino exception: Big M expressly says it does not offer online gambling.^[20]

See our online casino laws guide and online poker guide for those product distinctions.

How old do you have to be to gamble in South Carolina?

South Carolina Lottery purchases require age 18. There is no single gambling age covering every activity. A cruise operator's boarding rule and a proposed sportsbook age are different from a statewide permission to gamble.^[2][4][18]

Activity	Age or position	Scope
Lottery purchase	Age or position 18+	Scope Tickets may separately be gifted to people of any age.[4]
Big M cruise boarding	Age or position 21+	Scope The operator's policy, not a rule for every vessel.[18]
Licensed bingo	Age or position Check the particular game	Scope No universal statewide player minimum was verified.[5]
State casino or sportsbook market	Age or position Not established	Scope A proposed age does not create permission.[2][3]

For bingo eligibility, ask the organizer and the Department of Revenue. Do not assume the Lottery's age applies to every game.

Lottery tickets, online sales and debit cards

The South Carolina Education Lottery sells authorized draw and scratch-off tickets through retailers. Purchasers must be 18 or older. The law separately permits tickets to be given as gifts to someone of any age, with distinct rules for a minor's prize claim.^[4][8]

You cannot buy Lottery tickets through the retailer's website or by telephone. The retailer contract requires the buyer to be present at the licensed location. Results, rewards and ticket-information apps should not be confused with an authorized online checkout.^[19]

You can use a debit card at participating South Carolina Lottery retailers. The current official guidance permits cash or debit, including participating retailers' contactless debit options. Credit cards are excluded, and a retailer is not required to accept debit.^[21][22]

Debit purchasing was announced in July 2025 and remained part of the Lottery's reported operations in July 2026. Older cash-only contract wording is therefore not the current practical payment answer.^[22][23]

Use the Lottery's official player-protection guidance for ticket concerns and suspected scams.^[24]

Is home poker legal in South Carolina?

Home poker for money has no blanket exemption merely because the host makes no commercial profit. The arrangement and the use of the premises matter.^[1][7]

In Town of Mount Pleasant v. Chimento, the court restored convictions involving recurring residential poker organized through an internet group, with a rake and contributions covering expenses. Calling the game skill-based did not protect that arrangement. The lead opinion distinguished a gaming house from a house where people happen to play; the case does not establish that every friendly gathering is unlawful.^[7]

The separate no-wagering social-game exception in section 16-19-60 has several conditions:

• Participants belong to a club or social organization and have a genuine social relationship.
• Tile, card or dice games take place at a residence, community clubhouse or similar private location.
• No mechanical or electronic devices, slots, pull-tabs, punchboards, pullboards or video games are used.
• Nobody, including entities, hosts, owners or tenants, receives direct or indirect economic benefit.
• There is no betting, wagering or gambling.
• Winning and losing risks are equal, apart from skill or luck.^[1]

These conditions describe social play without wagering, not permission for a paid poker club. Read the complete social-game provision before relying on it.^[1]

Bingo, raffles and charity casino nights

Licensed bingo and free games

Bingo can be legal through South Carolina's licensed framework or the qualifying free-play exception. The Department of Revenue regulates licences and premises display; applicant classes have different requirements. A bingo licence does not authorize pull-tabs. H 4137's proposed electronic-bingo expansion is not current permission.^[9][5][25]

Free bingo must not require payment, a donation, admission or a food purchase. A person must be able to play without paying an event entrance fee. Small-value prizes are permitted under the official free-bingo FAQ.^[11]

Registered and exempt raffles

Qualifying nonprofit raffles are legal under specific rules. Registered nonexempt raffles generally have a limit of four per fiscal year.^[6]

Separate registration exemptions cover specified donated noncash prizes with a combined value no higher than $950, or qualifying members-and-guests fifty-fifty raffles with gross proceeds no higher than $950. Exempt raffles have their own frequency limit: no more than one every seven calendar days.^[6]

Use the Secretary of State's raffle guidance for registration, the search and complaints. An exempt raffle may be absent from the register. Do not assume this permission authorizes online ticket sales or every charity fundraising game.^[6][26]

Entertainment-only casino nights

The raffle law permits the described casino-night entertainment only without player prizes, financial rewards or incentives. A charitable purpose does not authorize ordinary wagering casino nights.^[6]

Is horse betting legal in South Carolina?

South Carolina's current criminal law prohibits the described horse-race betting, bookmaking and wager-recording activities. A race meeting is not permission to bet.^[1]

S 344 proposes changes, but its committee progression and April 2026 correction do not establish enactment. Its amended proposal limits the contemplated wagering to the horse-event location; the introduced remote-account language is not a live statewide ADW framework.^[10]

Check the official S 344 history. An app accepting South Carolina customers does not establish legal horse-account authorization.^[1][10]

Fantasy sports and sweepstakes casinos

Are daily fantasy sports legal in South Carolina?

No dedicated current South Carolina approval for paid daily fantasy sports was verified for this guide. H 3625 includes proposed fantasy language, but a bill's definition is not an enacted exemption. An operator's availability or description of a game as skill-based does not settle its legal status.^[2]

Are sweepstakes casinos legal in South Carolina?

A sweepstakes label or free-entry route does not establish South Carolina approval. The device prohibition and Ward v. West Oil Company show why product-linked promotions need scrutiny. Ward concerned a physical pull-tab arrangement; it is not a ruling on every modern dual-currency app.^[9][14]

No blanket online approval or comprehensive new 2026 ban was established by the sources reviewed here. Our sweepstakes casino legality guide explains the broader model.

Are prediction markets legal in South Carolina?

Federal regulation of prediction markets is separate from South Carolina sportsbook permission. The CFTC's March 2026 advisory addresses designated contract markets and event-contract obligations, including sports-related contracts; it does not itself resolve every state-law question.^[15]

This guide does not establish the outcome of any current South Carolina prediction-market case or whether every Kalshi contract is lawful for a particular user.

Use the CFTC's official checks to identify the entity and federal status. Exchange designation and intermediary registration are different, and neither alone answers every contract's legality.^[16]

How to check South Carolina gambling permission

Use the authority responsible for the actual product. These routes include licensing, registration, consumer help and enforcement, not one universal casino register.