It goes without saying that gambling in South Carolina can land you into quite a load of trouble if you're caught. The act has been banned by the state for more than two decades now and everybody has to resort to either driving to Florida or simply avoiding the activity completely.
However, there are still communities who believe that legalizing the industry once again would bring hundreds of millions of dollars as tax revenue for the state, thus expanding local state spending on things such as the police department as well as firemen and state hospitals.
Overall, there are still groups of people, who luckily have a representative in the house of representatives who keeps their desires in mind.
The most prominent of groups is in Palmetto State as it represents one of the most tourist-heavy locations in South Carolina, therefore acting as the perfect place to set up shop for not only offline casinos but real money online casinos as well in order to cater to states that have legalized the activity.
What about sports betting?
Despite the fact that there is some kind of support for legalizing gambling in the state, the overwhelming majority still believes that it's too early for it. And it's understandable. Many believe that building a casino right next to a residential location would bring in crime and poverty, which the state is already suffering from.
The best alternative would be a regulated sports betting industry in the state. The activity has been legalized on a federal level and many states are starting to subscribe to the idea as well.
Furthermore, it's not like people who enjoy betting are too lazy to simply drive to the nearest state to place a bet. Why not allow it locally and then benefit the local economy through the activity?
That is also one of the arguments that “less radical” gambling supporters have about the state. Legalizing sports betting would not only increase the tax revenue of the state in terms of betting options but most likely increase the traction that sports channels generate through viewership.
This is likely to increase the value of product and logo placement with teams, thus pushing the profitability of sports even further.
Gambling for charity?
The Palmetto Forum, which is just a fund created to mimic the social projects of nearby states such as Georgia and Tennessee aims to support the legalization of gambling in South Carolina by putting forward ideas such as supporting local students in paying for their tuition or at least supplying the funds for better research capabilities.
Right now, as legalization is being discussed, the most prevalent places named as the hosts of future casinos are Myrtle Beach, Charleston and Hilton Head. This is because these locations attract the most tourists from in-land states that are a bit further away from places like Miami, Florida.
If the legalization does not occur, South Carolinians will have to rely on neighboring states, thus funneling the funds outside of the local economy. The only other option is to take the “floating casinos” which are just casinos on boats that anchor in the international waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
But God knows what happens to the funds spent on those boats. It's likely that they're not even reported to the local branch of the IRS.
