COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – A group of South Carolina lawmakers have pre-filed a bill to legalize online sports betting.
The sports wagering act has been brought to the legislative session countless times, including in 2023 when it was shut down.
The new version of the bill has regulations, including limiting market size and giving operators a maximum of eight licenses.
The bill also calls for a 12.5% tax on sports betting revenue.
Mark Nagel, University of South Carolina Sports Entertainment Management Professor, said it would have a positive effect on the state economy.
“Is it gonna be the golden goose that’s gonna lay gold eggs everywhere in the entire societal structural is gonna be changed for the better probably not, but it should be a net positive,” Nagle said.
Nagel added that sports betting has a historical fear that goes all the way back to the Chicago White Sox in 1919, known as the “Black Sox Scandal.”
Eight members of the Chicago White Sox, including Upstate native Shoeless Joe Jackson, were accused of taking bribes to intentionally lose the world series.