The online sports betting market is one of the hottest new industries across the globe, and a major part of its growth has been due to its rising popularity in the United States. While the country as a whole is still weighing out the pros and the cons of legalizing online sports gambling, there has been plenty of encouraging data stemming from the states that have already legislated sports betting into their laws.
Currently, there are 34 states that allow online sports gambling in some form, either online, in person, or both. Washington D.C. joins the list as an independent territory where its residents can cast wagers through both mobile apps and retail sportsbooks. Unfortunately for many fans of sports and gambling out there, that still leaves 16 states where betting is barred, although three of them currently have legislation submitted to bring sports betting within their borders that are expected to pass: Maine, Nebraska, and Vermont.
South Carolina’s early attempts to legalize online sports betting
One state that’s looking to join that group of three is South Carolina. So far, the state has had a long and disappointing history with the issue of sports betting. For four separate years in five years now, legislation has been submitted to potentially bring South Carolina online sports betting to life. The first three attempts fell flat, and rather quickly.
In February 2022, State Representatives Todd Rutherford and Bill Herbkersman introduced House Bill 5277. By June, the bill was dead, as it failed to pass through the legislative bodies. In fact, it didn’t get past the judiciary committees preceding a House vote, just like every other attempt to legalize sports betting up to that point in time.
As such, the state of South Carolina would have to wait at least a full calendar year before it could attempt to legalize sports betting in a new legislative session. Thankfully for prospective voters in the state, Representative Rutherford has proven to be relentless, having submitted a new proposal, HB 3749, earlier this year in April.
HB 3749 – proposal to legalize online sports betting in South Carolina – details
The proposed bill would allow for eight licenses to be distributed to interested sportsbooks and operators. One proponent of the measure requires that any operator applying to open its doors in South Carolina would have to be licensed in at least five other states already, disqualifying new or smaller sportsbooks such as Betr and Fanatics.
The bill also allocates 10 percent of all revenue from sportsbooks to be taxed for the state, which would bring in an estimated $23 million per year for social services once all operations are fully running. According to the legislation, 80 percent of that tax revenue would be given to the General Fund of South Carolina, with 15 percent going to local governments and the remaining five percent set aside to aid the effort to ensure responsible gaming within the state.
The future of HB 3749
Representative Chris Murphy, an ally of HB 3749, stated that the bill was inspired by North Carolina’s sports betting measure, which passed the state’s House vote earlier in the year. One major distinction between HB 3749 and most other state sports betting bills is the fact that North Carolina’s proposal would allow all citizens 18 and up to legally bet on sports, whereas most states require that bettors be at least 21 years old.
The bill is still in its fledgling state and still has to prove to be the first proposal to pass the judiciary review committees. After that, the House will vote on the measure, where, upon passing, it will enter a Senate vote, before finally landing on the governor’s desk. Governor Bruce Bannister has already spoken on his opposition to sports betting, but HB 3749 has a way to go before its draftees have to worry about the governor’s feelings on the matter.