Online Poker Real Money South Carolina
Poker in South Carolina, including Live and Online Poker Rooms in every city, tournament schedules, series events, promotions, and community discussion. Attention Poker Rooms: Get your Real-Time Live Action on PokerAtlas! Online poker is not legal in the state of South Carolina. The set of laws and rules regarding gambling is amongst the most strict of the United States.
As far as social poker goes, South Carolina is not a very social State! South Carolina Online Poker Games Online poker games are considered well and truly against the law here – based on the existing pre-internet Statutes. The chances of this State ever regulating online poker look remote to put it mildly. Improved Poker Reward program – you can achieve an impressive 32% rake back; Increased prize money, players and wider time zone coverage; Players in NJ, NV must be 21+ years old to play for real money and free money; Play on your phone, tablet or desktop device; Licensed and Regulated online poker room; Variety of deposit and withdrawal options.
Is Online Poker / Gambling Legal in South Carolina?
South Carolina is one of the most conservative states in the Union. Conservative government in the modern USA can mean a conservative approach to government, with few laws so the power of the state can never grow too much. Conservative governance can also mean an attempt to use state power to modify the behavior of citizens through morality laws, increasing the power of the state over people's lives, buying into the liberal idea that government power can be used for social engineering.
In the case of the South Carolina gambling laws, the latter, 'social conservation' interpretation is what hold sways. People don't want their neighbors to fall prey to the evils wrought by games of chance, so anti-gambling laws are put in force by the state. The State of South Carolina keeps matters simple, though, investing all power over gambling in the offices of the South Carolina Department of Revenue.
Playing Poker in South Carolina
Poker Online Real Money Us
South Carolina's gambling laws aren't very favorable to the gambler. And that trend continues when we consider the game of poker as viewed by South Carolina state law.
The primary strike against poker: State law clearly identifies the game as a form of gambling. If you look to South Carolina's definition of gambling in Section 16-19-40 (one of the longest of any U.S. state), you'll see that 'any game' played using 'cards' counts as gambling.
With poker treated as synonymous with gambling, our next task is to identify any legal gambling options under South Carolina that might encompass poker. That's a pretty simple task, insomuch that there are basically no clearly legal ways to play real-money poker in the state.
Commercial and tribal casinos don't operate any live poker rooms in South Carolina. There are charitable gambling exceptions written into the state law, but poker isn't among the activities permitted by said exceptions.
That leaves the lowly home game. Are social games of poker legal in South Carolina? Mix of news on this question, as the law itself doesn't offer a clear exception for social gambling. But state officials have stated publicly that prosecuting home poker games (where players have a genuine social connection) isn't of interest to them, so players wondering about the status of their Friday night poker game are left with a legal situation that is, at best, cloudy.
So does South Carolina outlaw all gambling?
The answer to that question is 'not entirely'. Charitable gaming for nonprofit organizations is legal, if you're licensed to run such games. Also, the definition of charitable gaming even allows certain types of gambling machines to be used. One news note mentions that gambling terminals are legal, if they don't give out more than $125 in prizes per day. These are only legal in limited situations, when associated with charitable gaming enterprises.
This wasn't always so. From 1975 until 2000, video poker machines were legal inside South Carolina. Since tougher laws went into effect in 2000, it's illegal to even own most video poker machines in South Carolina.
Learn About Other State Laws
South Carolina Casino Cruises
One other exception is made, though this skirts by on the technicality that these activities don't actually take place in the jurisdiction of South Carolina. I'm of course talking about the casino cruise, a feature of many southern states along the eastern seaboard who wouldn't allow a casino to be built in their state. Like Georgia next door, South Carolina has some nice seaside resort cities which give plenty of access to the Atlantic Ocean. So long as the casino cruise goes beyond the 3 mile limit, it's not considered illegal to host gambling.
The Sun Cruz Casino is an example of one of these casino cruises. The Suncruz ship sets out from Myrtle Beach...
South Carolina is one of the strictest states in the US when it comes to gambling. Unlike many other states, South Carolina does not have any casinos in its major cities. You can not legallyplay at online casinos or participate in any daily fantasy sports. You can’t go to the horse tracks or any pari-mutuel facilities because they do not exist in the state.
Currently, the lottery, bingo, and one casino cruise are your only options for legal gambling in South Carolina.
Online Casinos in South Carolina
South Carolina is very against the idea of people playing at online casinos. The state isn't gambler friendly and has prohibited all forms of online gambling. Even on land, you will only findone venue to legally gamble at.
Since the laws are extremely strict around online betting, it doesn't appear online casinos will ever exist legally in South Carolina. If you're found guilty of participating in any type ofonline game activity, you could be subject to a large fine and prison time.
You can still play slots and casino games at a social online casino, but won’t be able to play for real money. Sometimes you can even find poker at the social casinos, but your choices will bevery limited in South Carolina.
Land-Based Casinos in South Carolina
Unlike its neighbor North Carolina, there are no land-based casinos or Indian casinos in South Carolina. If you want to gamble in the Palmetto State, you’ll have to jump on a boat and sail downthe river.
Types Of Casinos In South Carolina
Online Poker Real Money South Carolina Locations
There is only one casino boat in operation, The Big M Casino in Little River, SC. Actually the company has two boats in operation that alternate sailing days and times. In either case, the boatsails three miles out into international waters where casino gambling is permitted. This is the only type of gambling you will find for South Carolina casinos.
List Of Land-based Casinos In South Carolina
Below is a list of all casinos in South Carolina. Click on a name to see a page of detailed information about that particular South Carolina casino.
The Big M Casino
- 4495 Mineola Ave, Little River, SC 29566
- (843) 249-9811
The Big M Casino is the only casino located in South Carolina. It operates as a luxurious casino ship and caters to everyone who is at least 21 years of age. The Big M Casino offers blackjack,craps, roulette, three card poker, let it ride, slots, and video poker. A cash bar and a la carte food service are also offered.
No public information is available concerning the payback percentages on gaming machines at South Carolina casinos. Please note that Unlike the South Carolina casinos, in many states the slotmachine payback statistics for that particular state’s casinos are released as a matter of public record. Just click here to see a list of slot machine payback statistics for casinos in all U.S. states.
South Carolina Land-Based Casinos Map
Map
You can easily see all casino locations by using our South Carolina casinos map. To zoom in, just click the + (plus) sign in the lower right corner of the map, or to zoom out, justclick the – (minus) sign in the same area.
To move the map of casinos in South Carolina, click and hold down either of your mouse buttons. Then use the hand icon to drag the map in whichever direction you desire.
Each of the red icons on the map is a casino location. Just click on any red icon to see the name of the casino at that location. If you want more information on that casino, simply click againon the casino’s name and it will direct you to another page with detailed information on that particular casino, including address, phone number, toll-free phone number, room rates, casinosize, dining information, games offered, availability of discounts for seniors, any special features, and a direct link to that casino’s website.
History Of Gambling In South Carolina
Since the 1780s, gambling has been illegal in South Carolina. Before World War II, residents in SC were able to wager on horse and dog races for a brief period in time, but that was bannedlater on. It was only in 2002 that the lottery started, and 2008 when casino gambling on cruises was legalized.
Before casino cruises and the lottery, bingo was first to be legalized in the state in 1976. The Bingo Act stopped games that had multiple prizes and ruled that the winner must receive onereward. Only licensed charities under the South Carolina Department of Revenue are permitted to operate bingo halls in the state.
The Era of Video Poker
In the late 1980s, there was a time when SC residents had over 30,000 video poker machines at their disposal across the state. After one of the gambling laws was edited, thousands of shops andestablishments started offering gambling machines to customers. Years later, the government tried to regulate the video poker industry by putting caps on how much a player could win at amachine.
When operators found a way around this rule, the government tried to limit the industry again by restricting how many machines could be in one location. They also prohibited video pokermachines to operate seven days a week.
Finally, after seeing no revenue and getting no taxes from the machines, the South Carolina Legislature tried banning video poker machines altogether. While residents of the state were underthe impression they would get a vote on whether video poker should be legal, the SC Supreme Court ruled this would not be the case. Video poker was deemed illegal in the state in 2000.
South Carolina Gambling Laws and Regulatory Organizations
South Carolina has some of the strictest laws in the country when it comes to gambling. Off-track betting, racing, table games, video poker, and slot machines have all been deemed illegal inthe state. Online gambling is also strictly prohibited in SC. There are no indications of any of the above forms of gambling being legalized in the future.
For now, residents have bingo halls and the lottery as legal forms of gambling in the state. Bingo halls must be operated by a charitable organization and licensed by the South CarolinaDepartment of Revenue. There is also the casino cruise ship, the Big M, which offers a variety of casino games to those who come on board.
Due to security restrictions, you must present a photo ID, or you will not be allowed on the ship. The minimum age to get on board the boat, and to gamble, is 21.
South Carolina Department of Revenue
The South Carolina Department of Revenue has a long list of responsibilities. Retail shops, liquor stores, manufacturers, and distributors must all be licensed and taxed by the SCDR. TheDepartment is also in charge of overseeing all bingo halls and making sure the Bingo Act of 1996 is followed by operators.
Find out more about what the SCDR does by clicking here.
Gambling In South Carolina Today
Recently, bill H 3102 was brought to the state by Rep. Todd Rutherford. This bill discusses finding land in South Carolina where Las Vegas style casinos can be built, and even mentions thepossibility of sports betting. Unfortunately, there have been no signs of progress on the bill since January (2020).
If the bill passed, then SC residents would have the chance to vote on whether or not casinos should start to be built in the state. With the damage the COVID-19 pandemic has done on theeconomy, many believe that legalizing casino gambling will get South Carolina back on its feet. Casinos would generate an enormous amount of revenue and aid with tourism immensely.
As of today, most forms of gambling are still very illegal in South Carolina and can even lead to jail time if you're caught.
Resources
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For more information on visiting South Carolina go to www.discoversouthcarolina.com or call theirtourism department at (800) 872-3505.