South Carolina H 5057: Public utilities

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 5057 Text of Previous Version (Apr. 02, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 5057

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

Indicates Matter 
Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Committee Report

April 2, 2026

H. 5057

Introduced 
by Reps. Ballentine, Cobb-Hunter and Taylor 

S. Printed 4/2/26--H.

Read the first time January 29, 2026

________

The committee on House Ways and 
Means

To whom was referred a Bill (H. 5057) to amend 
the South Carolina Code of Laws by adding Section 59-150-420 so as to provide 
that lottery retailers may use certain lottery ticket vending machines; and, 
etc., respectfully

Report:

That they have duly and carefully considered 
the same, and recommend that the same do pass:

B.W. BANNISTER for Committee.

statement of estimated fiscal impact

Explanation of Fiscal Impact

State Expenditure

This bill authorizes the sale of lottery 
tickets through lottery vending machines at lottery retailers in the state. 
Currently, it is unlawful for a lottery retailer to maintain a lottery ticket 
vending machine for direct use by consumers. The bill further states that the 
lottery ticket vending machines may distribute prizes up to the amount the 
lottery retailer is authorized to distribute, and the machines must require ID 
verification before purchase. The bill defines lottery ticket vending machine 
means a self-service, automated kiosk that allows the purchase of lottery 
tickets. 

SCEL indicates that under the bill, the 
commission will be responsible for purchasing the lottery ticket vending 
machines and placing them in retail locations. While the actual cost of the 
vending machines will depend upon specific retail requirements, specifications, 
and the RFP process, the commission anticipates an approximate cost of $20,000 
per unit. SCEL further anticipates purchasing 500 units to strategically place 
at retail locations across the state, resulting in a non-recurring expense of 
$10,000,000 for SCEL in FY 2026-27. The commission also notes that there will 
be a recurring expense for maintenance and repair of the machines. The 
commission indicates that these expenses will be offset by the additional 
lottery ticket sales revenue generated as a result of the implementation of 
lottery ticket vending machines.

State Revenue

This bill authorizes the sale of lottery 
tickets through lottery vending machines at lottery retailers in the state. The 
bill further states that the lottery ticket vending machines may distribute 
prizes up to the amount the lottery retailer is authorized to distribute, and 
the machines must require ID verification before purchase. It is currently 
unlawful for a lottery retailer to maintain a lottery ticket vending machine 
for direct use by consumers.

This bill is expected to increase lottery 
revenue available for appropriation in FY 2026-27, based on the commission's 
expectation that the implementation of lottery ticket vending machines will 
generate additional lottery ticket sales. SCEL provided an analysis based on 
lottery sales data within the state as well as data from other lottery 
jurisdictions that introduced lottery vending machines. Based on SCEL's 
analysis, lottery ticket vending machines are expected to increase lottery 
ticket sales of between 6.7 and 10 percent in the first full year of 
implementation. SCEL estimates that if the 500 vending machines are distributed 
among retailers in the middle 50 percent of sales and lottery sales increase by 
6.7 percent, the aggregate increase in gross ticket sales will be $13,700,000. 
If SCEL chooses to implement the lottery vending machine units at retailers in 
the top 70 percent of overall sales and assuming a 10 percent sales lift, the 
expected gross ticket sales increase will be approximately $36,300,000. Thus, 
SCEL anticipates that implementing lottery ticket vending machines under this 
bill will increase lottery sales by between $13,700,000 and $36,300,000 in the 
first full year of implementation. This represents an increase in total lottery 
sales by approximately 0.6 percent to 1.6 percent over total gross sale revenue 
received in FY 2024-25. 

SCEL has based this estimated increase on a 
number of factors, including prior sales performance among retailers that 
expanded their acceptable forms of payments to include debit cards as well as 
data from other lottery jurisdictions indicating consumer preferences towards 
self-service kiosks over manned retail counters. 

Initially, the additional sales revenue 
will be used to offset the one-time expense incurred for the purchase of the 
lottery ticket vending machines. SCEL reports that in the first full year of 
implementation beginning in FY 2026-27, after the initial expense has been 
recouped, this bill will increase net Education Lottery