South Carolina Lottery leaves behind cash-only mentality
By Kate Northrop
The South Carolina Lottery announced on Tuesday that lottery players can now purchase tickets with a debit card.
It's easier for South Carolina residents to buy lottery tickets now that state lawmakers have signed off on an additional payment method for lottery purchases.
Retailers will now accept debit cards and contactless debit cards, in addition to cash, as payment for lottery games, South Carolina Lottery officials announced on Tuesday. The change applies to both draw game tickets and scratch-off games.
The new rule was a result of a provision in the state budget that now allows lottery retailers to accept debit cards as a form of payment for lottery products.
"Technology and the way we use it has changed over the decades," Senator and Senate Education Committee Chairman Greg Hembree said in support of the move earlier this year. "We're simply catching our statute up to the modern way people use money."
While Hembree praised relaxing payment methods, some worried that it would harm those impacted by gambling addictions.
"If they [players] spend that limited resource, and if something happens, like a blip, and if they do get overcharged, or they do get hit on it with an overdraft, that could be the difference in rent getting paid or food on the table," Lawyer Sue Berkowitz had argued.
Some players are thrilled about the change. One frequent player, Marcella Danzy, told News19 that she was relieved that her state was matching the rules of surrounding jurisdictions.
"I am so excited," Danzy told the outlet. "I go to other states like North Carolina and beyond, and all of them accept debit cards, so I'm just so excited."
According to the South Carolina Lottery Commission, the state loses an estimated $50 million in revenue each year by only allowing cash payments for tickets.
"This can be millions for education here in South Carolina," Lottery spokesperson Holli Armstrong told News19. "The Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office estimates that the use of debit cards can be an additional $15 million for education."
While the new rule went into effect on July 1, the decision to take the new payment option is up to each store, the Lottery explained. There is no additional fee for lottery purchases made via debit card.
On one hand it's a great convenience if you don't want to carry cash, on the other hand you're creating a paper trail , ahhh no thanks, I like cash.
Only one Big Question if you loss your lottery ticket like the Guy in California that lost half of $390,000,000 you should be able to claim your prize with your Debit card purchase. It happened in Canada a lady bought a ticket with Debit card she forgot about it and lost the ticket without realizing she lost the ticket because she wasn't even looking for a lost ticket and she didn't have any idea she won. The Canada lottery department used her Debit card to pay her $50,000,000 🤠🙏
I'm the same way. I used a card one time at a lottery vending machine and I had immediate regret after doing so.
99.99% of my transactions are cashless.
There are only two reasons why I withdraw cash from my bank account.
1. To play the lottery.
2. To tip hospitality workers.
Remember when a fraudulent transactions happens on your DEBIT card, it's harder to stop/dispute those compared to CREDIT card transactions - that's another reason to stay away 🤔
Hopefully we can eventually buy tickets online like they do in other states and countries . If they wanted to make more revenue in SC they would improve our state lottery, have more games, and allow online ticket buying. But I feel SC is too regressive to catch up with modern times.
I know that queasy feeling, been there a few times.
And in Canada 🇨🇦 and United Kingdom 🇬🇧 zero Tax on all lottery win not even a federal tax 🤠🙏
not considered taxable income. This means that if you win the lottery in Canada, you get to keep the full amount of your winnings without having to pay any taxes on the prize itself. and in United Kingdom
Previously had mentioned, though it doesn't apply to me with an email to NY lotto that they should give their customers what they want--on line ticket purchases. Their reply 'Have a nice day'. I didn't bother with my home state of MA; the 'progress' they made was letting folks scan the tickets to see if they won. (now will go to to their website to read about it).
Guess I'm lucky to be in Kentucky where we have it all!
Back again, in MA, winnings from $601 thru $5K automatically deposited for those who participate. This is through the phone App. Well it is a start.
At first I thought this is a bad idea, now it could be a way to prove you purchased the tickets.
We could have a players card like the casinos, swipe your Lotto Players card when you buy tickets, the proof of purchase is tied to the card.
"Technology and the way we use it has changed over the decades, ... We're simply catching our statute up to the modern way people use money."
Haven't stores been accepting debit cards for all sorts of things for decades now?
"if you loss your lottery ticket like the Guy in California that lost half of $390,000,000 you should be able to claim your prize with your Debit card purchase. "
"I used a card one time at a lottery vending machine "
Is the story missing something? Is SC different than all the other states that let retailers sell tickets and then pay the lottery for the tickets they've sold well after the sales? I've used machine a few times, but when I get tickets from a clerk that used the terminal I pay a total for everything I've bought, and there's no breakdown. The lottery doesn't know anything about me (unless I get lucky and they come look at the video) or that the stranger that bought the tickets also bought milk or a candy bar.
Once or twice when I've gotten gas and paid with a credit card I've had clerks add the tickets and charge the full total on my card. Certainly a violation of the lottery's rules, but AFAIK all the lottery knows is that the retailer sold a whole lot of tickets that week and paid them whatever the tickets cost. In theory the lottery could find out that a credit card charge was made close to the time the tickets were sold, but that's a stretch. Aside from the matter of checking the store's credit card charge records (hopefully with the owner insisting on a warrant), we all know that retailers sometimes have tickets that were printed by mistake or that a customer refused, so regardless of how they're paid for some tickets don't get paid for until hours or days after they were issued.
And even if the lottery does find your paper trail, what are you worried about, unless you've got a gambling problem? Aren't you hoping that when it's all finished the lottery will have your name, mailing address, social security number, and banking information?
Lottery PONZI SCHEME,, capitalism 👂 IF YOU CAN'T EARN IT STEAL IT ,, CAPITALISM,,
Monday I bought Powerball tickets with other items and used my debit card. Today -same store-bought items used debit. Had to use cash for Powerball tickets. This retailer isn't following the new rules.