Best South Carolina Online Casinos

It’s not always easy getting to a casino in person. The drives are long, the crowds are frustrating, and you are always stuck waiting for your favorite slot or a table to open up. Don’t let lines weigh you down any longer. Enjoy a fast, fun, and interactive casino right at your fingertips with these great South Carolina online casino sites.

Online casinos are fantastic alternatives to brick-and-mortar locations. When playing online, you can customize your experience and play how you want and when you want, with no wait times. Want to be social? Many new online casinos come with great live libraries, meaning you can interact with real table dealers and other virtual players without leaving the house.

Read on to learn how we pick the best South Carolina online casinos, tips on how to play, and much more.

Gambling Laws for South Carolina

Like most of the United States, South Carolina has some pretty strict laws about in-person gambling. Legislation in the year 2000 officially banned all forms of physical gambling, including casinos, gas station slots, poker, and sports betting. Yet, 2001 saw some exceptions to this rule, with the allowance of charity bingo and lotto tickets as gambling forms.

While these strict gambling laws have kept physical and online casinos from operating on South Carolina soil, that doesn’t mean you are without gambling options. While lottery tickets and bingo are the only legalized gambling forms, other options remain that don’t outright violate the gambling ban.

Daily fantasy sports betting, for example, operates primarily as a skill-based game and isn’t restricted under gambling law. Offshore online casinos see no penalty to players either, as they aren’t operating on South Carolina soil. Finally, any casinos operated on cruise ships sailing through international waters are legal, even if the journey starts and stops in South Carolina.

South Carolina gambling laws are more focused on keeping licensed land-based casino venues and physical betting options out of the state. Online gambling through offshore sites is the gray area of this law and receives a lot of traffic from South Carolinians ready to test their luck.

Slotting vs. Bingo Gambling

Once upon a time, land-based casinos, video poker, and slot machines were popular in South Carolina. Around 1986, there were over 7,000 places to gamble and more than 34,000 video poker machines in the state. This made South Carolina compete with Nevada for gambling. The gambling boom saw huge annual revenue but was hard to control and moderate by lawmakers.

First, they began to limit daily winnings, then they limited establishments to only five video poker machines per venue and made it illegal to gamble on Sunday. Many of these rules saw workarounds, like jackpots paid out in small daily limits or walls separating machines to make it a different establishment.

After years of back and forth between legislators and gambling operators, a law was finally proposed in 1999 to make video poker, and other gambling forms illegal. In 2000, we saw the bill passed, making the once-prosperous gambling haven a ghost town.

However, the Bingo Act of 1976 was in place long before the 2000 ban. This allows charitable, fraternal, and religious organizations to perform one-winner bingo games, so long as they are licensed and pay the fee. Lotteries also fell into this act, meaning that a government-operated lotto like Powerball can exist so long as proceeds go toward education.

So, while many forms of personal gambling were banned, if it’s for charity or education, South Carolina is happy to provide a venue.

Types of South Carolina Casinos

While physical casino locations are out of the question, there are still plenty of providers for gambling beyond traditional casinos. Check out some of the unique options below.

Offshore Casinos

Most South Carolina players will flock to offshore casinos when they are looking to play casino games online. These are online casinos that operate outside the US, where gambling laws are laxer. They accept players from all over the world and provide a wide range of gambling opportunities like online live dealers, slots, and more.

Social Casinos

Social casinos are all the fun of an online mobile casino without any true gambling. These mobile casinos offer free-to-play casino games, often connected to the social network for community play. These online casinos are allowed to exist because you are never gambling any real money, though sometimes sweepstakes can be offered for real cash prizes.

Cruise Ship Casinos

Cruise ship casinos are the closest to a brick-and-mortar casino you will get in South Carolina. Built on a cruise ship in port, you can book a two-night stay at the casino and play without worry as soon as you hit international waters. While on the sea, the casino isn’t restricted by South Carolina laws. Yet, only two of this kind exist in South Carolina, and you will pay a pretty sum just to enter the casino.

High Stakes Bingo

Legalized through the Bingo Act, a high-stakes bingo game allows players to compete for both  physical and cash prizes. Prize pools are often big, and players only pay for entry or per bingo card. Yet, like the cruise ship casino, high-stakes bingo can only be operated at one specific South Carolina location.

The Benefits of Mobile Casinos

Recent years have seen popular real money online casinos branching out into a new platform: mobile casinos. Like online casinos, mobile casinos offer speed and convenience in a new instant and portable medium. Though not every online casino is mobile-ready, compatible ones are certainly worth checking out.

Mobile casinos take the library of their desktop counterpart and optimize it for tablet or phone gameplay. Not only do these touch screen features make games easier to play and navigate, but it also offers a unique form of immersion previously only seen at physical casinos. Some games even see specific mobile remakes for better graphics and mobile detail.

The true nobility of these casinos lets players bring their favorite slots and table games with them wherever they go. Whether you are passing the time waiting for a flight or want to track the live updates of your bets when shopping, mobile casinos are the perfect way to kill time and sharpen your competitive edge.

Be sure to check out the mobile compatibility of your favorite South Carolina online casino from our list and make the most out of your downtime.

Popular Promotions

Online casinos like to catch the attention of new players through a variety of methods, but none are more lucrative than their promotions. Each operator will offer different casino bonuses that enhance your gaming experience, earning you free spins, bonus money, and more. Check out some of the most common online casino promotions below.

Welcome Bonuses

Welcome bonuses or sign-on bonuses give new players special boosts when joining an online casino for the first time. Welcome bonuses can include anything from a boost to your first deposit to free spins and cashback on live games. These bonuses are usually split up between multiple deposits and can amount to several thousand dollars worth of rewards by your final deposit.

No Deposit Bonuses

Unlike other promotions that need a small deposit or complicated terms to activate, no deposit casino bonuses are simple, easy, and free bonuses. Usually activated by a code, these promotions will instantly deposit a small number of free spins or bonus cash to your account as an act of goodwill from the casino. These promotions are rarer but remain one of the best.

Weekly Promotions

Weekly promotions differ from casino to casino. They choose a day of the week, usually weekends, for players to earn special boosts. These can be free spins for selected games, a percentage of cashback on spins or sports bets, and even a deposit match. These promotions often need a small deposit and will expire within 24 hours.

Holiday Events

Online casinos love to celebrate the holidays, so much so that they often dedicate weeks at a time to one. Whether it’s the Christmas season or a Labor Day weekend, online casinos will offer special events dedicated to every popular holiday. Events can include tournaments, prize pools, boosted betting odds, no deposit codes, and much more to get into the festive spirit.

Reward Programs

Reward or VIP casino programs are unique systems that reward players for their gameplay and casino loyalty. These programs often award players with a certain amount of points for every game, deposit, or bet placed. All points count toward rewards, like bonus codes or physical prizes. The more points you have, the better the prizes get.

These programs can also be separated by tiers. The highest levels can earn high rollers exclusive benefits, like account managers, withdrawal priority, new banking methods, special promotions, and more. If you are ready to go all-in with a casino, we recommend checking out their VIP programs first to see what you can earn.

FAQs

What Banking Methods Do South Carolina Friendly Online Casinos Take?

Offshore online casinos take a variety of banking methods, depending on who you play with. The standard options are bank cards including Visa or Mastercard, E-wallets, as well as cryptocurrencies. 

Popular cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin and Ethereum, though crypto-focused casinos can see accepted options like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu. European online casinos enjoy E-wallet options like Paypal, Skrill, and Netteller. You will never be without options when banking with offshore online casinos, no matter how you choose to pay.

Is it Legal to Gamble in South Carolina?

Gambling laws are strict in South Carolina, banning most forms of physically licensed gambling. While the regulations are strict, legal forms of gambling do exist in the form of lotteries and bingo. Offshore online casinos operate in a gray area of legality, although not restricted to US laws since they operate from a foreign locale.

What is the Difference Between a Social and Online Casino?

While both are technically casinos that exist online, there are major differences between social and online casinos. Primarily, social casinos exist as free-to-play gambling alternatives. They don’t charge money, operating in a social sphere instead of gambling or a competitive one.

Online casinos offer a large library of official casino games from major providers. Everything from slots to table games can be offered at online casinos, and though they can have social options, their primary focus is on gambling games.

Both types of casinos can exist on desktop and mobile devices, and both are fun ways to enjoy your free time. If you are spinning slots for fun, a social casino is right for you. But if you want to earn a large jackpot or bet everything on red, then an online casino is where to go.

Are Online Casinos Better than Brick and Mortar Casinos?

There are no right or wrong ways to play at a casino. If you can make it to an in-person casino, there is no beating the atmosphere, bright lights, and social interaction. Complete with dining and entertainment options, physical casinos are a true mini-vacation for those who enjoy them.

Online casinos are more convenient, letting you enjoy all the gambling fun of a casino while staying in your pajamas at home. Online casinos are a great alternative for those less sociable, not willing to make a trip, or are bound by heavy state restrictions that don’t allow physical casinos. They can offer a large library of games, worldwide customers and can be taken on the go wherever you go.

Both are great options, but for gamblers in South Carolina? Online offshore gambling is the way to go.

Conclusion

Casinos are a great and fun way to spend your time, but finding a place to bet isn’t easy in South Carolina. Luckily, with the help of online offshore casinos, South Carolinians can play whatever they want, wherever they want, with ease. If you wish to bet on your favorite sports team or test your luck on spinning slots, or list of the best South Carolina online casinos is the best way to play.