Located on the east coast of the United States, in the middle of the mighty Grand Strand beach in South Carolina, Myrtle Beach is one of the country’s most tempting tourist destinations.

The Big 'M' Casino sails 365 days a year from Little River, SC. Check out our pricing and cruise schedules for both gambling ships here. A casino boat cruise is one the few spots you can gamble in a casino outside of Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Casinos are also one of main so.

A winning blend of subtropical climate, and beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see, make Myrtle Beach a winner for fun and sun loving visitors. In fact, it is estimated that more than 14 million people make the trip down South every year.

There’s one more reason why Myrtle Beach is such a crowd pleaser. Just three miles offshore, the casino cruise ships are open for business. In the last century, a three mile limit off the coast was set as the boundary of the United States. This was based on the distance a shore-based cannon could fire.

All Aboard

Entrepreneurs seized upon the fact that – if you took a boat into international waters – US laws did not apply. Simple: equip your boat with all the accoutrements a casino needs, load up with eager punters, and head out to sea for a distance of three miles.

Known as the ‘cruises to nowhere’, the casinos rapidly became big business. Happy holiday makers enjoyed the opportunity to have a flutter and the state’s political leaders soon realised there were revenue raising possibilities with the offshore betting boom.

Earlier this year, residents of Myrtle Beach and South Carolina were asked a simple question: would you rather raise infrastructure funding through a tax on petrol or through gambling?

These questions, however, related to land-based casinos. This would be a disaster for the casino cruise business which already operates legally. The last thing it wants is the introduction of land-based casinos.

Bet on Blue

The Myrtle Beach casino cruises operate mainly from the Little River waterfront which is also home to the annual Blue Crab Festival

There are several gambling boats, including the SunCruz Aquasino and the Big M Gambling Boat.

The SunCruz Aquasino is a 220 foot long boat that can accommodate 600 passengers. Trips normally last for five hours and a wide range of classic casino games are on offer, including blackjack, craps, and the ever-popular slots.

All You Can Eat Action

The Big M is a slightly smaller boat that claims to pay out ‘more jackpots than any other casino in South Carolina’. Games on board include Let It Ride, 3 Card Poker, and the ‘loosest’ slots. All it costs to enjoy a five hour trip is $25 and there is an all you can eat buffet on board.

Frequent Myrtle Beach visitor and casino cruise fanatic Todd Jones is a regular daytripper on the Big M Gambling Boat.

“Me and my family have been coming to Myrtle Beach for as long as I can remember. We live in Columbia and it takes less than three hours to get to the beach,” he said.

“The kids are grown up now so now my wife and I can do exactly what we want. The Big M is the third boat that Diamond Management have owned. The first time we tried a casino cruise, we sailed on the Southern Elegance. That was eventually replaced by the Diamond Girl Two and now the Big M.

Casino Boat Ride In Myrtle Beach

“We enjoy the actual cruise as much as we enjoy ourselves playing at the casino. It’s a lot of fun and the staff are very patient. They are friendly and helpful because there are a lot of novice players to consider.

“I do remember one time when the surge was quite strong and the roulette chips flew all over the table. It definitely adds another dimension to the game,” he said.

Sing a Happy Thong

There is – of course – much more to Myrtle Beach than just the casino cruise business.

Crime writer Micky Spillane used to help judge the Miss South Carolina Pageant at Myrtle Beach in the 1950s. These days, you could face a fine or even arrest if you bare too much skin. Thongs are banned and revealing any portion of the buttocks is not permitted.

Country music lovers are also well catered for at Myrtle Beach. The Carolina Opry was opened in 1986 by Calvin Gilmore and has earned a reputation as the best country and western music destination outside of Nashville.

And Finally…

Struggling to choose a holiday destination for 2015? Of the 14 million annual visitors to Myrtle Beach, only 100,000 are from outside the US. So, if you want to experience some deep south hospitality, blue crab, and a famous cruise to nowhere, you know where to come.

The SunCruz Aquasino is a 220 foot long, 600 passenger, 5 hour gambling cruise ship based in Little River, South Carolina. The SunCruz Aquasino offered 'Cruises to Nowhere,' legally transporting passengers into international waters beyond federal and state gambling laws. SunCruz Aquasino offers classic table games such as blackjack and craps, as well as a live poker room and slot machines.

History[edit]

SunCruz was founded by multimillionaire Konstantinos 'Gus' Boulis (who also founded the Miami Subs sandwich shop franchise). Boulis purchased eleven luxury yachts which he remodeled into casinos. These would conduct 'Cruises to Nowhere', consisting of a three-mile cruise from the Florida coast into what was then considered international waters.^[1] While in international waters, passengers could gamble on poker, blackjack and slot machines. Boulis named the fleet the SunCruz Casino line. By the time of its sale in 2000, SunCruz was earning tens of millions of dollars of profits annually, and had over 2,000 employees.

Casino Boat Cruise In Myrtle Beach Sc

In September 2007, SunCruz discontinued operations at Palm Beach,^[2] and service has subsequently been discontinued at Daytona and Treasure Island as well. On December 16, 2009, SunCruz Casinos was reported to be closing amid allegations that it owed $300,000 to the Canaveral Port Authority.^[3] Less than two weeks later, on December 28, parent company Ocean Casino Cruises filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy.^[4] At the time of the filing, there were approximately 300 full and part-time employees.^[5] In May 2010, SunCruz returned to Little River, South Carolina under a new name, SantaCruz Casino, and under new ownership by Casino Partners of South Carolina, LLC.^[6]

Lawsuit by Horry County[edit]

In 2011, Horry County sued the operator of SunCruz Aquasino for breach of contract, alleging that SunCruz had failed to make payments to Horry County for passenger fees received during the months of August and September 2011. Horry County was supposed to receive a fee of $7 per passenger instead, of collecting taxes based on the boat's revenue. The suit asked for $165,000 in back payments plus legal costs.^[7][8][9] Aquasino asserted they had stopped making payments due to the county not enforcing a ban on illegal gambling, which was also part of the agreement. The company's position was that it had protested the boarding fees from the beginning of their relationship with the county, stating they were onerous. Even so, they had continued to pay those fees in good faith. However, when the county did not seem to be doing enough regarding the illegal gambling, they suspended payments, entering into negotiations with the county to reach a compromise. It was during these negotiations when the county filed its lawsuit.^[10]

On July 23, 2012, Horry County Circuit Judge Benjamin Culbertson ordered SunCruz Casino to start paying the passenger boarding fees as stipulated in the agreement, but did not issue a ruling on any alleged past due amounts. On July 29, the county received a check for $20,202.^[11]

Cruz/Gambling Features and Options[edit]

SunCruz Aquasino offers players Vegas-style slots ranging from $0.02 to $25.00, including ticket-in and ticket-out machines. Blackjack, Poker, Texas Hold ’Em, Rummy, Roulette, Craps, and sports-book wagering are also offered.

See also[edit]

• SunCruz Casinos, a former casino boat company that went bankrupt in 2009.

Footnotes[edit]

1. ^New York Times retrieved Sept. 19, 2012
2. ^'Port of Palm Beach statement'.
3. ^NBC News
4. ^http://www.cfnews13.com/Business/LocalBusinessHeadlines/2009/12/29/suncruzs_parent_company_files_for_bankruptcy.html
5. ^Price, Wayne T. (11 January 2010). 'SunCruz offers apologies'. Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 14A.
6. ^'New owners buy Sun Cruz, sending casino boat to SC'. Carolina Live/ WPDE-TV. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Carolina Live/ WPDE-TV. 4 April 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
7. ^Naquin, Ryan (2011-11-16). 'Horry County sues casino boat for not paying passenger fees'. WPDE-TV. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
8. ^Naquin, Ryan (2011-11-16). 'Casino boat gets reality show, still owes county $500,000'. WPDE-TV. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
9. ^'SunCruz Casino responds to lawsuit'. WMBF-TV. 2011-11-16. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
10. ^Naquin, Ryan (2012-11-16). 'Horry County sues casino boat for not paying passenger fees'. CarolinaLive.com. Retrieved 2014-03-03.
11. ^Naquin, Ryan (2012-08-02). 'Sun Cruz Casino ordered to pay Horry County taxes'. WPDE-TV. Retrieved 2012-09-25.