South Carolina Likely to Elect Alan Wilson, Opening Door for Online Sports Betting
Kalshi traders give Alan Wilson 93 cents to win South Carolina’s governorship over Jermaine Johnson at 6 cents. Wilson supports online sports betting but opposes casinos. InGame details similar candidate positions and Kalshi odds in Georgia, Alabama, Minnesota and Oklahoma races.
SCCG Take — Leading candidates in these Southern races often back referendums or targeted online betting, pointing to incremental legalization paths that operators should track closely ahead of November.
The race for South Carolina governor is not much of a race according to traders at Kalshi. As of Thursday, Republican candidate Alan Wilson, the state’s attorney general, is trading at 93 cents to win over his Democratic opponent, state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, at 6 cents.
If this result holds, sports betting in South Carolina may get a push from the governor’s office. Speaking at a Lexington County Republican Party meeting earlier this year, Wilson said he was in favor of allowing online sports betting in South Carolina, per a report by The State. (He also said he was completely against casino gambling.)
“[The] internet is everywhere, and obviously, anybody can go online. I don’t want to criminalize conduct that people are doing on their phone,” Wilson said, according to the report. “I think brick-and-mortar gambling is very different than what people do on their phones. But at the same time, I just want to make sure that we’re very thoughtful about it.”
Jermaine Johnson said he wouldn’t do anything about sports betting unless a voter referendum compelled him to act. Outgoing Gov. Henry McMaster has been a staunch opponent of any gambling expansion.
Other States’ Governor Races and Gambling Positions
Several other states feature gubernatorial races where candidates’ views on sports betting have been noted. In Georgia, the race is a toss-up at Kalshi with Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, former mayor of Atlanta, narrowly leading Republican Rick Jackson, founder and CEO of Jackson Healthcare. Bottoms favors a voter referendum on sports betting while Jackson has not made his position clear. Current Gov. Brian Kemp has maintained a hands-off policy.
In Alabama, Sen. Tommy Tuberville holds a 90-10 lead over Doug Jones. Tuberville is pro-referendum for sports betting. Gov. Kay Ivey supported a 2024 bill that included sports betting before it collapsed.
In Minnesota, Sen. Amy Klobuchar is favored 95-5 over Rep. Lisa DeMuth. Klobuchar has opposed legalizing gambling federally. She stated in a 2024 Senate committee hearing: “I do not want, as a matter of federal law, I would never vote as a matter of federal legislation to legalize gambling.” DeMuth voted against a sports betting bill in 2022. Current Gov. Tim Walz has long supported the idea if it helped the state’s tribal interests.
In Oklahoma, Mike Mazzei leads 92-8 over Cyndi Munson. Neither candidate has staked out a position on sports betting. Outgoing Gov. Kevin Stitt has long promised to veto any legislation granting Oklahoma’s tribes exclusivity over sports betting.
Reporting: InGame
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
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