South Carolina remains in gambling legality limbo as New York nears NY green light

Almost four years on from the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) being repealed and South Carolina now finds itself in the minority among states yet to put some form of sports betting legislation into effect.

There are now fewer than 20 territories in the United States who have signalled no intention of legalizing in any way, even amid the swell of states opting to join the trend since May 2018.

Even despite their neighbours to the north putting plans in motion to legalize sports gambling as far back as 2019, South Carolina has remained in staunch opposition to the practice.

Holy City Sinner previously explored the major obstacles standing in the way of South Carolina residents being able to bet legally on sports within state lines, and the forecast for change isn’t positive.

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That’s despite the fact the Palmetto State is replete with major professional and college teams that would surely be of huge interest at the sportsbooks if the winds of change were to blow.

The Carolina Panthers may be based in Charlotte, North Carolina, but the National Football League franchise are very much considered as belonging to both states.

Then there are the Clemson Tigers, Charleston Cougars, Citadel Bulldogs and Wofford Terriers, each of whom are competing as part of this season’s NCAA Division I basketball tournament.

It’s not as though South Carolina doesn’t have the means to put a sports betting infrastructure into place, either, more so that legislators have until now seemed committed to tradition.

There are currently four casinos—all river boat sites—within the state where it’s legal to gamble, but the topic of opening that up to sports remains a sensitive one.

Money tends to talk in these matters, however, and the more evidence there is of other states benefiting financially from the extra revenue, the more likely it is that South Carolina will (eventually) tag along.

New York will be one of the next major markets opened up as a legal sports betting location, and bettors are expected to be online and fully functional as soon as January 2022.

That doesn’t just include in-person betting but should extend to all online and mobile sports gambling, meaning residents should be able to capitalise on all betting offers in New York in a matter of week.

New York state senator Joe Addabbo said as far back as April of this year that he hoped sports betting would be up and running in time for February’s Super Bowl, and he gave an update this fall to say that remains the target:

“I am confident that with the announced, credible winning bids, we have the potential of eclipsing other states in mobile sports betting handle, raise significant revenues and funding for education and youth sports, while effectively addressing the problem gaming issue. Of utmost importance remains the timeframe for the servers that validate the mobile bets to be up and running, ready to take New York’s first mobile sports bets in January and in time for the 2022 Super Bowl.”

The move is projected to boost New York’s coffers by taking part of the billions of dollars in annual revenue New Jersey has raked in for several years now. New Jersey is expected to become the first state to officially rake in more than $10 billion in bets in a single year before the end of 2021.

That’s not to say South Carolina can expect to hit those same kinds of numbers anytime soon, but with several state neighbours still yet to legalize, there’s certainly money to be made in the current climate.

With more and more areas gradually signing up to approve sports betting in one form or another, there’s yet to be much movement in this southeastern state—but never say never.

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