South Carolina keeps a very tight lid on gambling, and pull tabs do not make the cut. The only charitable gaming the state authorizes is nonprofit bingo, which is licensed and regulated by the South Carolina Department of Revenue, plus a separate allowance for nonprofit raffles. Paper or electronic pull tabs, sometimes called break-opens or Nevada tickets, are not part of that framework. The Department of Revenue treats their sale as illegal and attaches steep penalties to it.
Who can run pull tabs (no one)
Because pull tabs are not an authorized game in South Carolina, no organization can legally run them, not even a licensed 501(c) nonprofit, a veterans post, or a fraternal club. The state licenses charitable groups for bingo and separately allows certain nonprofits to hold raffles. Neither of those licenses extends to pull tabs.
The Department of Revenue is blunt about it. It says the sale of pull-tabs, whether sold through direct sales by employees or dispensed through machines, is illegal. A licensee or promoter can face a $5,000 penalty for a first offense, and a second offense can bring another $5,000 penalty, license revocation, and possible criminal prosecution. Both the nonprofit and the promoter are held liable.
The rules behind the ban
South Carolina's approach flows from a strong constitutional and statutory stance against gambling devices. Charitable bingo is carved out and regulated under the Bingo Tax Act in Title 12, Chapter 21 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, and nonprofit raffles are handled under Title 33, Chapter 57. Games that fall outside those narrow carve-outs, including pull tabs, remain prohibited.
Electronic or tablet based pull tabs, sometimes marketed as e-tabs, are likewise not authorized. Since the state bars pull tab sales through machines as well as by hand, an electronic version has no legal footing here. There is no minimum play age to cite because there is no legal pull tab game to play.
Recent legal changes
Lawmakers periodically float broader gambling proposals, but no such measure has legalized charitable pull tabs. As of mid 2026 the ban still stands.
If you follow this topic, watch the South Carolina Department of Revenue and the state legislature for any change before assuming pull tabs have become available. Right now the answer remains a clear no.
Where can I play pull tabs in South Carolina?
Pull tabs are not offered in South Carolina, so you will not find them at bars, clubs, veterans posts, or charity halls, because their sale is prohibited statewide.
Find a spot214 places to play pull tabs in South Carolina