Casino / Dinner Cruises
Vacationers can now add another feature to their Myrtle Beach trip - A Casino Cruise. There are two gambling boats in the Myrtle Beach area, both docked at the waterfront in Little River, just across the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge that separates North Myrtle Beach from Little River SC.
The Gambling Boats take their passengers on the infamous "cruise to nowhere" a few miles off the coast, into international waters, outside the USA jurisdiction, where it's legal to gamble.
History of Casino Cruises
Gambling on the water is not new. It has had a long history in the United States. During the 19th century, riverboats traveled between cities. Many of the passengers were using the boat as a means of transportation, while others used the riverboat as a home for gambling. Card games were especially popular on riverboats; in fact, poker was invented on the Mississippi River.
When legalized casino gambling was limited to Nevada and, later, Atlantic City, casino cruises gave those who had access to ocean shores an option for gambling. While the ship's port may have been in a state where gambling was illegal, as soon as the ship was three miles off shore, it was in international waters and no longer in the jurisdiction of the United States or state laws.
Most casino cruises are day trips - a few hours out at sea and then return to port. There are some that are destination cruises as well, such as a cruise from Florida to the Bahamas where the main activity on board is gambling. Many of the casino cruises provide transportation to the port at no extra cost.
Little River has two Casino Boats, SunCruz Casinos and the Diamond Girl Two and their contact info is below.
Diamond Casino Cruises
4491 Waterfront Ave
Little River, SC 29566
Phone: (843) 249-9811
SunCruz Casinos
4495 Mineola Ave
Little River, SC 29566
Phone: (843) 280-2933