Bright casino lights, crowded poker tables, roulette wheels, and slot machines define gambling for some. Others gamble at the local gas station or grocery store by purchasing lottery tickets. Most people don’t realize there is a wide, underground network of people involved in an illicit activity associated with illegal gambling. That sport is cockfighting.
HendrickCockfighting is a blood sport that attracts gamblers willing to bet thousands of dollars on chickens killing chickens. These birds are bred to fight, pumped full of stimulants to make their behavior more aggressive, and equipped with razor sharp spurs to make the event more gruesome. The birds are thrown into a pit to fight to the death.
Although animal cruelty cannot be overlooked, the moral concern of criminal activities associated with cockfighting is substantial. Illicit gambling, drugs and weapons are often seized when fights are raided.
Earlier this month, 77 people were convicted on charges associated with a cockfighting operation in northern Greenville County. In recent years, numerous large-scale stings around the state have netted large sums of cash, illegal drugs and weapons. In some instances, minors have even been discovered participating in these operations.
Cockfighting has been illegal in South Carolina since 1887, but current penalties have proven to be too weak to deter the activity. The Humane Society of America ranks South Carolina 45th in leniency of cockfighting laws in the country. The sport is a felony in 35 states and the District of Columbia, including our neighboring states of North Carolina and Georgia. Cockfighting is a misdemeanor offense in the Palmetto State.
Rep. Murrell Smith (Sumter) and Rep. Deborah Long (Indian Land) have introduced a bill (H. 3564) that increases the penalty for cockfighting, making the second offense a felony with up to $3,000 in fines or up to five years in jail. The office of public policy feels that actually creating substantial punishment for this activity will greatly decrease the practice and reduce a lot of the practices affiliated with the sport that we feel are against biblical principles. The bill is making headway in the House and will be taken up by the full judiciary committee when the Legislature convenes next January.
– Hendrick is associate director of the South Carolina Baptist Convention’s office of public policy.