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Judiciary committee advances bill to bar Internet sweepstakes machines at alcohol‑licensed businesses; debate over business testimony
Summary
The committee voted 17–2 to report a bill clarifying that Internet sweepstakes machines are not legal in establishments that serve alcohol. Sponsors said law‑enforcement rulings and seizure outcomes show the machines are functioning as illegal gambling devices; some senators urged more time for business owners to testify.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to report a bill that would explicitly bar Internet sweepstakes machines from alcohol‑licensed establishments, closing what sponsors called a loophole in state law.
Senator Aiken, speaking for the subcommittee, said S.3 clarifies that sweepstakes machines — devices that sell Internet time and award sweepstakes entries that can be redeemed for prizes — are not permitted in bars, restaurants or convenience stores under existing gambling statutes. "There is no loophole in this title that would make them legal," the subcommittee chair said, noting contradictory magistrate rulings prompted the fix.
Law‑enforcement witnesses told the panel SLED had seized more than a thousand machines and that seizures were upheld in magistrate courts; the sponsor said those agency opinions and testimony support the need for the narrow statutory clarification. "Chief Keel told us that every machine that had been seized by SLED when challenged in magistrate's courts... the magistrate had sided with SLED," a senator recounted for the committee.
Some senators urged the committee to allow owners and industry witnesses more time to testify before the bill moved; the senator from Orangeburg said business owners had insufficient notice because subcommittee work occurred during the holidays and requested the committee carry the bill over so those owners could be heard. The subcommittee chair and other supporters responded that the measure had been vetted previously, that the House had already passed similar language last year, and that law‑enforcement witnesses told the subcommittee the narrow fix would aid enforcement now.
After debate, the committee recorded a favorable report by roll call with a 17–2 tally and noted a minority report would be expected from a dissenting senator. The committee will transmit the bill and its report to the Senate calendar for floor consideration.
The bill as presented focuses on clarifying statutory coverage for alcohol‑licensed establishments and does not, at this stage, pursue a broader, comprehensive rewrite of sweepstakes or Internet‑cafe regulation; the subcommittee chair said those broader reforms could be pursued separately.
