The Myrtle Beach area has the only casino boats in South Carolina. Their costs could go up
Although there are no casinos on land in Myrtle Beach, there are casino boats that operate on the blue Atlantic seas after docking in Little River.
And they’re the only operational casino boats in South Carolina.
A new law is up for its final reading with Horry County council. If passed, it will charge the casino boats a surcharge per customer starting in Feb. 2025.
According to the ordinance, the casino boat surcharge would increase from $7 to $10 through March 31, 2025. Starting the next day, on April 1, 2025, the surcharge would increase again from $10 to $15 per customer, the law says.
Five years later, on Jan. 1, 2030, that per customer charge would increase a third and final time from $15 per customer to $18 per customer, the ordinance said.
The Big “M” Casino did not immediately return The Sun News’s request for comment on Tuesday morning.
According to their website, Big “M” Casino is the only casino boat in South Carolina that operates two luxury yachts with averaging payouts of $383,000 per week.
The ships offer what they call “Las Vegas-style” games including Roulette, Blackjack, 3 Card Poker, Let It Ride and slot machines.
This marks the first time since 2015 that the Horry County Council has voted on raising the customer fee for casino boats that dock in the county’s waters.
Gambling is illegal in Myrtle Beach on land, state statutes say. But, once the boats drive out past county waters at sea, the casinos are able to legally operate.
This practice first became part of state law in 2005 when the South Carolina General Assembly enacted the Gambling Cruise Act.
After that law was enacted, in 2008 Horry County Council passed an ordinance to charge casino boats that are berthed in unincorporated Horry County waters a $7 surcharge per customer they have on the vessel.
This new ordinance has a sunset clause in it stating that after 120 months, or 10 years, after the ordinance is enacted on Feb. 5, 2025, the surcharge will end.
The new law will be up for it’s third and final reading at the Nov. 12, 2024 Horry County Council meeting.
Council members have previously passed the ordinance during the first and second reading, according to agenda records.
