Last week’s launch of legal online sports betting in North Carolina gave North Carolinians access to eight betting apps, including industry giants DraftKings and FanDuel. Despite expanded gambling in the Tar Heel State, its neighbor to the south isn’t particularly close to legalizing sports wagering.

A bill to legalize sports betting in South Carolina, House Bill 3749, hasn’t moved since 2023. The state’s 2024 legislative session ends on May 9, and the state’s crossover deadline for bills to move into the opposite chamber is April 10.

Given the lack of recent movement for HB 3749 and historical challenges surrounding gambling expansion in South Carolina, it’s highly unlikely the bill becomes law in 2024. This could motivate some South Carolinians to cross state lines to use the eight legal North Carolina betting apps.

South Carolina has some of the strictest gambling laws in the country. South Carolina doesn’t allow for horse racing, and there aren’t any land-based casinos in the state. The state does have a lottery and some riverboat casinos. Sports betting and online casino gaming are not permitted in South Carolina.

While there have been efforts to legalize sports betting in South Carolina in recent years, they’ve barely moved. Current Gov. Henry McMaster, who has served as Governor since 2017, is anti-gambling expansion. His opponent in the 2022 gubernatorial race, Joe Cunningham, attempted to use a pro-sports betting platform to garner support. Cunningham’s challenge fell short, with McMaster earning another four-year term.

“They’re not good for us,” McMaster said to The State about Cunningham’s stances on legalizing sports betting and recreational marijuana. “They’re not good for people.”

With the Governor opposing gambling expansion, it presents a major challenge for any short-term legalization efforts.

North Carolina’s sports betting market could eventually persuade South Carolina legislators to more strongly consider legalizing sports betting. It’s estimated that North Carolina’s online sports legalization could generate $100 million in annual tax revenue by 2027.

“I would imagine [North Carolina’s legalization] will speed up the process in South Carolina,” University of South Carolina Sports Management Professor Stephen Shapiro said in 2023.

A successful online sports betting market in North Carolina could push legislators in states like South Carolina and Georgia to work faster to legalize sports wagering.

“I do think that states that are entertaining [legalization], whether they want to do mobile or retail sports betting, are definitely looking at North Carolina,” Bill Pascrell III, partner at the Princeton Public Affairs Group, told Sports Handle.

While Georgia’s sports betting legalization efforts might stall out again this session, legislators in the Peach State have made more progress toward legalization than South Carolina in recent years. An imminent sports betting launch in South Carolina looks unlikely, but if more southern states begin to adopt legal sports betting, it could change South Carolina’s legalization outlook.