South Carolina Bettors Have Backdoor To Bet This Football Season

Dabo Swinney recently said he thinks Clemson — the pride of South Carolina, many say (sorry, Gamecocks fans) — will become the first-ever team to 16-0 in college football history. That has the fanbase riled up, and probably itching to bet on the outcome.

Unfortunately, the fans living in the home state can’t legally bet sports. That’s because South Carolina is one of only 11 states in the country without legal sports betting at all. No mobile betting apps. No casinos. Nothing.

Year after year, lawmakers floated South Carolina betting bills to change that, and year after year, the state slams the door shut — usually because Governor Henry McMaster won’t even entertain the conversation.

But… South Carolina-based bettors might be in luck this year. There’s a loophole that will allow them to bet college football and any other sport. What’s that loophole? Something called prediction markets. Keep on reading and we’ll tell you what’s developing!

The Fast Rise of Prediction Markets

By now, you’ve heard about prediction markets, right? You ought to have because they’re seemingly everywhere! In case you somehow haven’t, prediction markets let people buy and sell shares in real-world outcomes. Think “Will the Clemson win the College Football Playoff?” or “Will the Yankees finish with more than 95 wins?” Instead of placing a traditional bet, you’re trading event contracts — like a mini stock market for sports, politics, and everything else under the sun.

These markets operate under a different set of rules than traditional sportsbooks. In most cases, they’re federally regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), not by state gambling boards. That distinction is key. It means prediction markets can often serve customers in states where sports betting is technically illegal — that’s you, South Carolina!

Kalshi is the poster child for this movement. They launched in 2018 with a focus on politics and economics, but since expanding into sports earlier this year, the platform has exploded. They reported $130 million in volume on Game 7 of the NBA Finals alone, and sports contracts now dominate their platform. Kalshi is also fresh off a $185 million raise that valued the company at $2 billion — and they’ve made it clear that football season is their next big play.

DraftKings is watching closely. The second-largest sportsbook in America is eyeing a way into prediction markets too. They’ve been linked to acquiring Railbird, a CFTC-approved prediction market founded by two former Wall Street analysts. Railbird isn’t live yet, but it already has regulatory approval to operate in all 50 states. If DraftKings acquires them, it’d give them instant access to states like South Carolina — without waiting for lawmakers to legalize anything.

South Carolina’s Backdoor Entrance to Betting

If the courts continue to side with Kalshi — or at the very least continue punting on the issue — then South Carolina bettors will be covered all Fall football season.

Of course, the reality is, South Carolinians already bet. A lot? Offshore sportsbooks continue to thrive inside the state. Anyone with an internet connection and a few dollars to spare can go wager on football from their couch. Though, some bettors get scared off by the offshore nature of those sites.

Prediction markets remove those worries. Again, they are quasi-legal and semi-regulated. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a very real one. And given how stubborn South Carolina’s legislature has been, it might be the only path forward for the foreseeable future.

Lawmakers in the state have tried. The Sports Wagering Act had bipartisan support, a reasonable tax rate, and polling that showed 70 percent of voters wanted legalization. But McMaster wouldn’t budge. So even if a bill passes, it’s likely to die on his desk — and no one expects the legislature to override him.

Meanwhile, just across the border, North Carolina is raking in millions off their legal marketplace. They launched online betting in March 2024, and in little over a year, they’ve pulled in over $100 million in tax revenue. One proposed tax hike could push that number even higher. You don’t think South Carolina lawmakers notice that? Of course they do. They just can’t get past their own politics to act on it.

That’s why prediction markets are so interesting. They skip all of that. They offer a way for the market to move forward without needing politicians to play catch-up.

What Should South Carolinians Do?

So if you’re a local and itching to bet on football this year — what do you do? For starters, rid yourself of any hopes of getting a bill passed. The lawmakers have shown their true colors here, and legalization is a pipe dream at this point.

Instead, go where the momentum is. Prediction markets are here, they’re federally cleared, and they’re growing fast. Kalshi is already live and running, and DraftKings could be next if it lands Railbird. These platforms don’t care what South Carolina politicians think — and they don’t need their permission to operate. That’s the angle. That’s the workaround. And for South Carolina bettors, it might be the closest thing to a legal bet for years to come.

So yes, we recommend getting your betting fix at these prediction markets. Trust us, bets for the Tigers and Gamecocks will be plenty on the platforms this year.