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Nothing positive has been posted about South Carolina sports betting news and it’s quite disappointing for fans in the region. While close to 40 states in the USA have managed to get things legalized, South Carolina has been standing pat. There are some lawmakers who want to see things changed in the near future, but not everyone is on board. It’s no secret that the South Carolina Governor is getting in the way of legal sports betting. Will that change soon?
Not long ago, Governor Henry McMaster passionately spoke against legal sports betting, claiming that it would be a major negative for the state. However, McMaster has since had plenty of people oppose his view, especially with so many other states moving forward with things. There’s no question that states across the board are bringing in a lot of money via sports betting taxes. Just take a look at Delaware.
Delaware is one of the smallest states, yet they posted a $17 million sports betting handle right after they launched online betting. No one expects South Carolina to be near the top of the leaderboard, but because of the popularity of college sports all over the state, the assumption is betting would flourish in SC. Despite this, McMaster remains adamant in trying to block things. Recent betting bills have been pitched, but nothing has come of it.
The hope was that legal betting would arrive by the end of 2024, but it’s now looking like things won’t be given the green light until 2025 at the earliest. In even more bad news, McMaster could be in office until 2027. If he’s so against sports betting, what’s going to change his mind in the coming years? From our chair, betting would be a huge benefit for South Carolina, but McMaster and some of his colleagues don’t seem to agree.
North Carolina launching online betting only makes things worse for South Carolina
It goes without saying, but North Carolina launching online betting only makes things worse for South Carolina. Earlier this week, NC was able to get things finalized and people are already racing to get their March Madness betting picks in. This shouldn’t come as a stunner at all, as North Carolina’s men’s basketball team is one of the best squads in the country and they have a history of winning the National Championship Game.
This is bad news for South Carolina, though, as people are going to be crossing state lines consistently, especially when the Big Dance is underway, to get their bets in. This will result in an economic boom for North Carolina from South Carolina visitors. Imagine if that money was being spent on local businesses in SC instead. This is one of the main issues with sports betting not being an option for local residents.
Yes @Ashlyn2W!! pic.twitter.com/9Pc06hFUHC
— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) March 4, 2024
Why should they have to get in their car or travel by plane to a different state to place bets? While the USC men’s team hasn’t been strong, the women’s college basketball team is one of the best in the country and the expectation is they’ll go on a deep run in the tourney. On top of that, South Carolina’s women’s team is also the favorite to win the SEC Tournament. This is something fans would love to bet on, but they can’t inside of the state’s lines.
No NCAAB betting or NCAAW betting will be allowed in South Carolina for this year’s tournament, but will that still be the case once next March gets here? That’s completely unknown, but McMaster doesn’t have a single person believing that change will be on the way soon. As we’ve said time and time again, South Carolina is missing out on millions by not having sports betting tax revenue. The sooner McMaster realizes this, the better.
South Carolina also missed out on Super Bowl bets
Another issue the state had to deal with recently was that South Carolina also missed out on Super Bowl bets. While the state doesn’t have a pro team and none of the nearby states’ teams made it to the final, both Deebo Samuel and Javon Kinlaw were superstars for USC and they still have a ton of local supporters.
"People just say 'there's always next year' but I heard that in 2019 and it took four more years to get where we at."
Deebo Samuel reflected on the heartbreaking Super Bowl loss 💔
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) March 5, 2024
The two San Francisco 49ers players were on the roster to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Samuel is without question one of the top playmakers in the NFC and he was turning heads throughout the postseason. With his great size and speed, he’s tough for would-be tacklers to try and bring him down. This was on full display throughout the season.
With the great run by the 49ers, people in South Carolina were of course paying close attention to Samuel and Kinlaw. In turn, they would have enjoyed putting money down on them to succeed, but that wasn’t an option. So, in addition to college sports, South Carolina continues to miss out on NFL action as well. It’s time for McMaster to wake up and see this is a monster mistake.
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