South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster Is Blocking On line casino Invoice

• South Carolina on line casino laws is probably going lifeless for 2026
• Gov. McMaster continues to oppose playing growth efforts

Laws to authorize business casinos in South Carolina is presumably lifeless for 2026. For anybody who’s been protecting tabs on playing pushes within the Palmetto State, that comes as little shock.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, pictured in 2022, stays adamantly against casinos. McMaster has informed lawmakers to not ship him playing laws, with the specter of a veto. (Picture: Governor’s Workplace Picture Archive)

Final week, Home Invoice 4176, a reasonably partisan invoice backed by 16 Democrats to simply three Republicans, was recommitted to the Home Methods and Means Committee.

After advancing out of the committee final 12 months, the playing invoice, which seeks to authorize a Las Vegas-like on line casino alongside a rural a part of Interstate 95, was recommitted by Committee Chair Bruce Bannister (R-Greenville).

Bannister amended the gaming invoice to require {that a} appreciable portion of the on line casino taxes go to conservation efforts, a pillar of South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s (R) governorship. The governor, in his second time period, nonetheless, wasn’t received over.

Governor’s On line casino Opposition

McMaster has been steadfast in opposing casinos since he took workplace in 2017. That place hasn’t modified.

I’ve at all times opposed playing. I feel the vast majority of the folks within the state don’t want on line casino playing, and I don’t both,” the governor mentioned.

Bannister conceded that even with the conservation modification to HB4176, McMaster has knowledgeable the Methods and Means Committee chair that he would veto the laws. The governor’s stern opposition will doubtless consequence within the on line casino invoice being shelved. McMaster’s ongoing opposition led state Rep. Gil Gatch (R-Summerville) to take away his title from the gaming invoice.

McMaster, then lieutenant governor, grew to become governor in 2017 upon Nikki Haley’s resignation to grow to be United States ambassador to the United Nations. He was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022 to full four-year phrases, making him the state’s longest-serving governor in historical past.

Bannister believes there’s a pathway to bringing casinos to South Carolina, however that path stays impenetrable till no less than January 2027, when McMaster’s term-limited governorship ends.

“There’s a pathway that it may very well be profitable on the finish of the day,” Bannister informed the Post and Courier. “However I don’t see that pathway proper now based mostly on the present circumstances.”

Religion Leaders Rejoice

Situated within the Bible Belt, pushes to broaden playing in South Carolina are met with robust opposition from spiritual organizations. Final April, a gaggle of Christian leaders and pastors gathered on the South Carolina State Home to voice their opposition to casinos.

We prayed collectively, spoke with lawmakers, and held a press convention — bringing mild to points that have an effect on each household in South Carolina. These included ethical issues such because the potential legalization of on line casino playing and the accountability now we have to guard our communities from hurt,” mentioned Chad Connelly, founder and CEO of Religion Wins.

“Saying ‘no’ to casinos in South Carolina was one in all our main legislative initiatives this 12 months,” Steve Pettit, president of the evangelical conservative Palmetto Household Alliance, mentioned in a press release. “I’m grateful to the 1000’s of South Carolinians who contacted their representatives to induce a ‘no’ vote on casinos.”