South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 4129
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Brewer, Guffey, M.M. Smith, Hartnett, Teeple, B.L. Cox, Sessions, Mitchell, Stavrinakis, Pedalino, Brittain, Hayes, Guest, Luck, Atkinson, Bamberg and Robbins
Companion/Similar bill(s): 362
Document Path: LC-0123AHB25.docx
Introduced in the House on March 5, 2025
Introduced in the Senate on May 8, 2025
Last Amended on May 7, 2025
Currently residing in the Senate
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
| Date | Body | Action Description with journal page number |
|---|---|---|
| 3/5/2025 | House | Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 5) |
| 3/5/2025 | House | Referred to Committee on Ways and Means (House Journal-page 5) |
| 3/6/2025 | House | Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Bamberg |
| 4/23/2025 | House | Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Robbins |
| 5/1/2025 | House | Committee report: Favorable Ways and Means (House Journal-page 125) |
| 5/7/2025 | House | Amended (House Journal-page 16) |
| 5/7/2025 | House | Read second time (House Journal-page 16) |
| 5/7/2025 | House | Roll call Yeas-99 Nays-9 (House Journal-page 17) |
| 5/8/2025 | House | Read third time and sent to Senate (House Journal-page 81) |
| 5/8/2025 | Senate | Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 6) |
| 5/8/2025 | Senate | Referred to Committee on Judiciary (Senate Journal-page 6) |
| 5/8/2025 | Scrivener's error corrected |
View the latest legislative information at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
03/05/2025
05/01/2025
05/07/2025
05/08/2025
Amended
May 7, 2025
H. 4129
Introduced by Reps. Brewer, Guffey, M. M. Smith, Hartnett, Teeple, B. L. Cox, Sessions, Mitchell, Stavrinakis, Pedalino, Brittain, Hayes, Guest, Luck, Atkinson, Bamberg and Robbins
S. Printed 5/7/25--H. [SEC 5/8/2025 1:08 PM]
Read the first time March 5, 2025
________
A bill
TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 16-19-5 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A PERSON WHO PAYS A FEE TO PLAY A GAME IN WHICH SKILL PREDOMINATES OVER CHANCE AND RECEIVES A PRIZE PROPORTIONATE TO HOW SKILLFULLY HE PLAYED IS NOT GAMBLING.
Amend Title To Conform
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Chapter 19, Title 16 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:
Section 16-19-5. (A) For the purposes of this chapter, a person who pays a fee to participate in a game, activity, or event in which skill predominates over chance including, but not limited to, a Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tournament; a National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) event; a billfishing or bass fishing tournament; an Association of Tennis Professional Tour event or Women's Tennis Association Tour event; a turkey shoot; or any non-card-based predominant skill game, activity, or event, and receives a thing of value proportionate to how skillfully he plays in the game, activity, or event is not gambling.
(B) Nothing in this section should be misinterpreted as permitting any physical or electronic card-based game when skill predominates the outcome of the game, activity, or event and is determined primarily by the participant's mental or physical abilities, strategy, or learned capacity. If the game, activity, or event involves a material element of chance by which the outcome is determined through randomness, defeating the participants skill, such as "turn of a card" or "roll of the dice" this is gambling and therefore illegal.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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This web page was last updated on May 8, 2025 at 1:09 PM