The history of gambling in South Carolina

South Carolina has some of the strictest laws and regulations regarding gambling in the whole USA. It has some very religious cities, such as the city of Charleston which is even nicknamed the Holy City. 

Even though the gambling laws are now very strict in South Carolina, it doesn’t mean that there was no gambling history there. Just like many other states, gambling has long roots in the history of South Carolina, and it does still show.

South Carolina used to have more opportunities for gambling

The gambling laws have become more strict throughout the years. This means that there used to be more legal opportunities for gambling. In fact, during the 90s gambling started to get more popular and bigger in the state of South Carolina. The Supreme Court tried to end this in 1999, by ruling for example all video poker machines unconstitutional.

Because of this ruling, all of the machines were shut down by June 2000. Video poker machines are not the only gambling games there are. You can read more on South Carolina casinos here to learn about the current opportunities.

Is gambling illegal in South Carolina now?

To clear something up, we need to state whether it is legal to gamble at all in South Carolina. The state has some of the strictest gambling laws in the whole USA, but it doesn’t mean that it would be fully illegal.

For example, online casinos are still a bit in the gray area. Since they are based online, they are harder to completely shut down. Additionally, arranging bingo for charity is not illegal. In this case, the South Carolina Department of Revenue controls the revenues made in these bingo events. This way, they can ensure that the revenue is spent on the righteous cause.

Gambling cruises are a popular way to have fun

One form of gambling is often legal even in the strictest states, and the same goes for South Carolina. This is gambling on a cruise. Gambling cruises are very popular, because they offer a legal and fun way to gamble, while the guests can enjoy a cruise.

The most famous gambling cruise happens in Big M Casino Ship II. It is one of the only possibilities to gamble and play casino games without using the internet. Because of this, it is incredibly popular amongst all people who wish to play casino games in South Carolina. Casino cruises are legal because there are a bit different laws when the venue for gambling takes place on the water.

There are still many other fun ways to have fun in South Carolina

Sure, gambling is not the easiest activity to begin in South Carolina, but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of other ways to enjoy your time. You can use our event calendar to find out about all the fun events in Charleston. As you can see immediately, there isn’t a lack of fun things to do, and the same goes with all the rest of South Carolina.

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