South Carolina Looks at Online Gambling

The state of South Carolina is looking for ways to raise money in an effort to rebuild roads and bridges across the state and one solution that has been tabled is that of gambling extensions and even looking at the possibility of online gambling. The South Carolina Democratic Party is turning to the voters in the state and garnering opinion with the question being put to them reading, "The S.C. Department of Transportation estimates more than $20 billion is required to fix South Carolina's crumbling roads and bridges. Should gaming laws be modernized to fund the repairs instead of a tax increase?" There is no pointer as to exactly what gambling laws could be changed however the House Minority Leader Rep Todd Rutherford believes that instead of allowing for video poker machines to make a return to the state, that betting on horses and the building of casinos in Myrtle Beach could be the answer, saying that casinos in that location could raise hundreds of millions in tax revenue.

Another question on the ballot will be asking residents whether they feel that online gambling should be a state by state issue to decide upon rather than a federal law being put in place, and maybe this question has one eye on the future for gambling in South Carolina. There is of course proposed legislation being discussed at present that would ban all form of regulated online gaming, in total contradiction to state law that allows them to do as they see fit. Residents of New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada are able to play at state regulated sites, and should the prohibitive law pass then these states would all have to roll back their plans. Residents of South Carolina and indeed all US states currently play online casino games and poker on the many offshore regulated sites that allow them to do so, with one of the largest being that of Bovada, and any law passed would not affect these establishments.