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Judiciary panel advances bill to bar sweepstakes devices from alcohol‑serving businesses
Summary
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 17–2 to report a bill clarifying that Internet "sweepstakes" machines cannot operate in businesses that sell alcohol, citing law‑enforcement seizures and magistrate rulings that suggested a loophole; opponents urged more industry input before floor debate.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced legislation intended to close a perceived legal loophole that operators have used to run Internet “sweepstakes” gaming devices in establishments that serve alcohol.
Sponsor testimony described the bill as a narrow fix to ensure Title 61 (alcohol laws) does not create an exception that would allow video‑poker–style devices to operate under a sweepstakes label. The measure’s sponsor told the committee the bill “just says that there is no loophole” in state law that would legalize those devices in beer/wine/tavern locations.
Law‑enforcement witnesses referenced seizures of machines that had been contested in magistrate courts; committee members cited more than 1,000 devices seized in enforcement actions as evidence the problem is proliferating. The attorney general’s office and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) told the subcommittee that seized machines had been upheld as illegal gambling devices in most magistrate challenges, though a small number of local magistrate rulings prompted concern.
Opponents said owners and other industry stakeholders should have an opportunity to testify before the bill moves to the floor. “There are some people that actually are involved that would like to be heard,” a senator opposing a quick move said, arguing the bill targets a narrow subset of operators and that broader reform might be more equitable.
Why it matters: Sponsors said the measure prevents operators from using the sweepstakes label to reintroduce video‑poker–style gambling in storefronts that also sell alcohol; law enforcement called the change necessary to preserve the state’s longstanding video‑gambling ban.
The committee voted to report the bill favorably by a recorded hand count, 17 in favor and 2 opposed. The sponsor and the chair said the bill will go to the Senate floor, where fuller debate and any perfecting amendments can be offered.
Next steps: Committee staff will transmit the committee’s report; the full Senate will consider the bill on the floor.
