Commonly misunderstood as an innocuous form of entertainment, gambling addiction has spread like wildfire in recent years.

All that glitters is not gold.

Republican leaders are proposing three separate bills to give gambling a stronghold in South Carolina — one to legalize casinos and two to legalize online sports betting. A House Ways and Means subcommittee will consider two of them Tuesday.

After weeks of public silence and private negotiations, we have now finally seen the resulting amendment on S.62, the bill to restore South Carolina’s ESA program—the Education Scholarship Trust Fund.

It’s time for South Carolina to go to the head of the class and demand the answer to the question, “Why not us?”