South Carolina Casinos Online
If it wasn’t for online casinos living in South Carolina would truly be a nightmare for gambling enthusiasts. The Palmetto state has one of the most restrictive gambling laws in America, limiting risk-taking to charitable bingo and a state lottery. There are no casinos whatsoever, no racetracks that allow betting and no poker rooms. Not even charitable raffles exist. All of this is strictly illegal.
While liberal winds have been blowing through most, if not all of America, the state of South Carolina has pretty much been stuck in time. About two decades ago things even changed for the worse as the state used to be home to tens of thousands of video poker machines. Then these got banned.
Thanks to the internet the state’s hostile attitude towards gambling fortunately doesn’t matter. There are plenty of fantastic online casinos that allow South Carolinians and even though these aren’t legal by the book, it’s completely safe to gamble at them. No one has ever been faced with any charges for doing so and no one probably will as internet gamblers aren’t targeted by the police.
Best online casinos in South Carolina listed and reviewed
Based on several important factors that can have an impact on the gambling experience, we at casinowebsites have thoroughly reviewed all gambling sites that allow residents of South Carolina and picked out the overall best ones. You’ll find these listed below.
How do you choose the best South Carolina casinos?
We’re very passionate gamblers that take our job dead seriously. Our work is centered on providing valuable information about internet gambling and guiding risk-takers to the best online casinos in South Carolina and other US states. We have a huge record of gambling sites that accept Americans and this is frequently updated with new operators that enter the market.
All of these sites are visited, scrutinized and scored by us on a regular basis as a way for us to keep up to date with the industry. This way we can easily compare all online casinos in South Carolina with each other and pick out the overall best. When we do this we have the following factors in mind:
- Game selection
- Customer support
- Withdrawal times
- Payment methods
- Safety standards
- Promotional offers
What can I expect from the listed gambling sites?
Since all of the casinos that we have listed are different companies the experience at them may vary a bit. All in all it is, however, quite a similar one that includes the following:
Game selection
You’re able to find a wide variety of games. We’re talking about hundreds of slot machines; table games such as roulette, casino hold’em, blackjack, baccarat and craps; as well as video pokers. Some of our listed sites also offer a live casino which allows you to play some of the table games against real dealers through a video stream.
In addition to this, some of the operators are not only focused on bringing you a high quality casino experience, but also offer sports betting; esports betting; horse race betting; and a poker platform that allows you to play texas hold’em against other players.
Customer support
No matter which of the best South Carolina casinos that you choose to play with a world class customer support will have your back should you ever need help with anything. The support is available all around the clock and can be easily reached on a live chat found on the sites; by phone and through e-mail. In our experience the support agents are very friendly and knowledgeable. It truly shows that they’re doing their best to keep their players happy and satisfied.
Payment methods
With the vast majority of casinos that we have recommended you’ll be able to make a deposit by debit cards (Visa and Mastercard), bitcoins and bank transfer. For cash outs you’re usually able to withdraw by bitcoins, bank transfer and check by courier (which means having a check physically sent to your home).
Withdrawal times
As soon as you have requested a cash out you can expect your money to be sent within 48 hours. From there the withdrawal method that you have chosen will determine how long it takes for you to receive your money. Bitcoins rarely take longer than 2 hours, while bank transfers can take a few days and check by courier up to ten days.
Promotional offers
At all of the best South Carolina casinos that we have listed for online gambling you’ll find a good amount of valuable bonus offers. With some of the sites you’ll get a free bonus just for having an account created and on your first deposit all of the casinos will give you extra money to play with.
In addition to this, it’s common to find several new promotions every week, which can be anything from competitions to lottery draws and cashbacks. As a frequently depositing player you can also expect to receive exclusive loyalty rewards. And if you ever run out of bonuses it’s not impossible to have a chat with the customer support and get one as a gesture of good will.
Safety standards
While all of the above factors are taken into consideration when choosing the best casino sites, safety is a top priority to us. Therefore you can be sure to be 100% secure when playing at our recommended casinos. All transactions are protected by SSL encryption and the websites are using sophisticated safe guards to prevent hackers from intruding. In addition to us vouching for the gambling sites’ legitimacy, they also hold a great reputation among millions of American players.
How do I gamble at online casinos in South Carolina?
Enjoying the thrilling fun of online gambling is not only convenient but also incredibly easy. To help you out getting started and getting the most out of the experience we have, however, covered everything you need to know in a brief step-by-step guide below.
- Choose a gambling site to play with
This is obviously the first step. Since the best South Carolina casinos that we have recommended are quite similar to each other there’s not much to think about. Any of the listed sites will probably do just fine. The only thing to keep in mind is that some of the casinos only offer casino games while some are also offering the option of betting on sports and playing poker against other players. - Create a personal casino account
This process is very much like any other account creation process you’ve experience online and is quickly done. Just click the “sign up” or “join now” button on the website and enter some personal details about yourself such as first and last name, home address and date of birth.
Unlike other accounts that you may or may not have created using fake details, it’s very important that you provide the correct information on your casino accounts. These details will be verified at a later stage and if they turn out to be false it will just cause you a lot of inconvenience. - Check out promotional offers
This is not a necessary step, but if you want to maximize your long term chances of winning you want to use as many bonus offers as you can. Before making a deposit our strong recommendation is therefore checking out the casino’s promotional page to see what they have in store for you.
When you browse through the bonuses it’s a good idea to pay attention to the terms and conditions that they come with. These contain everything you need to know about the offers. How to qualify for them; if there’s something you aren’t allowed to do while a bonus is active and if there’s something you must do in order to make a withdrawal. If you receive extra money it is for instance common that you have to wager a certain amount of cash before you’re able to withdraw the received bonus. - Fund your account with money
Have you ever made a purchase online? Then you won’t be unfamiliar with this step as funding your casino account with money pretty much works the same way. Just head to the cashier at the casino and you’ll find several payment options to deposit with such as debit cards and bitcoins. - Let the thrill of the gambling begin
Once your account is funded it’s time to get the gamble going. Unless you’re looking to play poker, which may require you to download a software, all games can be easily enjoyed in your web browser. Have a look around and indulge in whatever fun you find appealing. Detailed instructions and pay tables are included in all games, and the customer support is never farther than one click away. - Request a cash out of your winnings
Hopefully you get lucky and win big. If so you want to secure your profits by cashing out. This is just as easily done as depositing. Just head to the cashier, choose the payment method you would like to cash out with and enter the amount you would like to withdraw. - Provide an ID to verify your account
All legitimate online casinos in South Carolina will require you to verify your account before any cash outs can be approved. This is a common security process that exists to prevent underage gambling and to tackle fraud. It’s there to protect you as well as the casino. To verify your account all you have to do is to provide the gambling site with a photo copy of a valid ID. Once this is approved your first withdrawal request and any future cash outs will be handled within 48 hours.
Is it legal to play casino online in South Carolina?
It’s definitely not legal. The Palmetto state is incredibly conservative when it comes to casino games and other types of gambling. It’s not even legal to own a gambling device such as a roulette wheel.
With this being said, the laws that exist are quite outdated and don’t really cover internet gambling very well. The best thing we could find in the state’s criminal code is the following segment:
“If any person shall play at any tavern, inn, store for the retailing of spirituous liquors or in any house used as a place of gaming, barn, kitchen, stable or other outhouse, street, highway, open wood, race field or open place at (a) any game with cards or dice, (b) any gaming table, commonly called A, B, C, or E, O, or any gaming table known or distinguished by any other letters or by any figures, (c) any roley-poley table, (d) rouge et noir, (e) any faro bank (f) any other table or bank of the same or the like kind under any denomination whatsoever or (g) any machine or device licensed pursuant to Section 12-21-2720 and used for gambling purposes.”
As you can see on the wording this is clearly not a recent writing. Therefore it’s actually unclear if the law could be used to prosecute someone playing casino online in South Carolina. Some claim that it can’t, while some argue that “any gaming table” could include internet gambling.
Whatever the deal is, you shouldn’t be too worried about gambling online as there are no records of anyone ever facing any legal action for doing it. The long arm of the law has better things do to than chasing down single individuals betting on sports, playing poker and spinning on slots online. What’s the legal status of other types of gambling?
What’s the legal status of other types of gambling?
Lotteries: Legal
Social gambling: Illegal
Charitable bingo: Legal
Charitable raffles: Illegal
Sports betting: Illegal
Poker games: Illegal
Casino games: Illegal
Horse race betting: Illegal
Dog race betting: Illegal
A brief look at the history of gambling in South Carolina
1788: All types of gambling are banned in the state.
1976: Bingo is allowed to be offered by charitable organizations. A license is required for it.
1990s: In the 1990s video pokers were legalized and quickly spread throughout the state. At one point 37,000 machines were operating in bars and restaurants and bringing in $3 billion in annual revenue.
1990s: David Beasley who was the governor of South Carolina from 1995 – 1999 was very much against the wide spread gambling on video pokers. He stated that the machines were the crack cocaine of gambling and used the death of a 10 month old baby (who died in a car while her mother was playing video poker) to campaign against them.
2000: The South Carolina Supreme Court bans video pokers. This year also saw the approval of a state run lottery that would fund educational programs.
2003: Legalizing tribal casinos in South Carolina is up for discussion, but voters turn down the proposition. The Catawba Tribe would eventually sue the state for the right to offer gambling on their reservations, but lose in court.
2006: A high stakes game of poker is raided by the police and 27 participants arrested. A nifty sum of $62,000 was also seized.
2012: The Supreme Court of South Carolina declares social gambling to be illegal.
2015: A bill is introduced to allow commercial casinos in South Carolina, but fails.
2016: Legalizing daily fantasy sports is up for discussion, but the bill introduced doesn’t get a vote.
FAQ about gambling and casinos in South Carolina
Can I play for free at South Carolinian online casinos?
You can indeed! Once you have created an account more or less all casino games are available to enjoy with demo credits. All you have to do is to click on a game and you’ll get the option of playing it for free. Should you run out of demo credits, just reload the game and you’ll instantly get new ones.
In addition to this, some of the best South Carolina casinos that we have recommended on top of the page will also give you a free bonus just for signing up an account with them. In other words, you’ll get a small amount of cash or a couple of spins on a certain slot machine for free.
What’s the penalty for illegal gambling in South Carolina?
For a first time offence you’ll receive a fine of $100 and may in worst case scenario have to spend 30 days in jail. Second time around it’s a lot worse as you could be facing up to a year in prison along with a fine of $2,000. Arrests for unlawful gambling rarely happen though and when it comes to internet gambling it has never occurred. Unless you make your gambling very obvious, like playing poker outside of a police station, you won’t risk getting in trouble.
Can I play a home game of poker with my friends?
You can, but it’s not legal to do so as all social gambling is illegal in South Carolina. Home games are, however, fairly common for one obvious reason – it’s unlikely to get caught. The police aren’t exactly going from house to house peeking through windows.
With that being said, home games have indeed been raided by the cops. In 2006 more than twenty people were placed under arrest for playing poker. This was, however, a high stakes game with a large group of people; as much as $62,000 was seized.
Will I experience any fees playing at online casinos?
It totally depends on the type of payment method that you use. By depositing and withdrawing with Bitcoins you’ll never experience any, which is one of the greatest things about this payment option. If you fund your casino account using a debit card or by making a bank transfer there’s usually a small fee involved. You may experience one on withdrawals as well. It varies from one gambling site to another. If you’re concerned it might be a good idea to check with the support before signing up.
Casino Sites by States
[mapsvg id=”10563″]
More US online casinos
