Latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Midlands

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina senators have endorsed a bill legalizing friendly games of poker in people's homes.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 15-6 on Tuesday to advance the bill to the Senate floor. The measure would replace the state's 1802 antigambling laws that, if read literally, ban any games with cards or dice.

Legislators have tried to change the laws since a 2006 raid on a poker game in Mount Pleasant, which is currently before the state Supreme Court. Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell says the laws are selectively enforced, and the government has no business telling people they can't play games in their own homes.

Opponents say they fear the unintended consequences of trying to tweak gambling laws. They say they fear any loopholes could usher in outright gambling.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)