Trump Victory Spurs South Carolina Casino PushBill Would Allow Land-Based Casinos With Sports Betting |
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South Carolina will consider a casino bill in 2017 that would help fund road improvements, but Donald Trump’s victory in November reportedly is also putting momentum behind the efforts.
According to a report on wltx.com, Rep. Todd Rutherford (D-Columbia) has prefiled a bill that would put casino authorization on the 2018 ballot. Voters would be asked whether to amend the state constitution to allow for the Las Vegas-style gambling facilities.
The proposal is good news for card players because playing poker for any amount of money is illegal in South Carolina, according to a state Supreme Court ruling from 2012. A law dating back all the way to the year 1802 makes poker for money against the law.
One South Carolina Supreme Court justice said in 2012 that the anti-poker game law is “hopelessly outdated.” South Carolina allows lottery gambling.
Rutherford’s plan calls for allowing sports betting, something that the federal government would have to act on first before the state could have sports books at its potential casinos. This year, Congress is slated to take a look at the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 to determine if full-fledged sports wagering should be allowed outside of Nevada.
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Rutherford introduced a similar piece of legislation last year, but it didn’t advance through the legislature. He was quoted as saying that Donald Trump, a former Atlantic City casino boss, in the White House could change the tide.
“[Trump] is well tied-in to gambling," Rutherford said. “The Republicans are now well tied-in to it all the way to the top. What is wrong with South Carolina benefiting from that tie-in to gambling profits?”
South Carolina does have two casino boats, which sail off Myrtle Beach, that offer Las Vegas-style gambling. These boats sail three miles into international waters before gamblers are allowed to place any bets.
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