There are no land-based casinos in Myrtle Beach. The closest local casino experience is The Big “M” Casino, which operates two casino ships from Little River, north of Myrtle Beach. For full-scale inland casinos, travelers must drive into North Carolina, where three operating tribal casino properties provide the other major options.
That gives visitors five defensible casino experiences—not 10 conventional casinos—in the Myrtle Beach and broader Carolinas region: Big “M” Ship I, Big “M” Ship II, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel, and Catawba Two Kings Casino.
The five casino experiences at a glance
| Experience | Where it is | Format | Hotel | Gaming and entertainment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Big “M” Casino — Ship I | Little River, South Carolina | Casino ship sailing offshore | No onshore casino hotel | Year-round cruise format with gaming, food, ocean travel, and onboard amenities |
| The Big “M” Casino — Ship II | Little River, South Carolina | Casino ship sailing offshore | No onshore casino hotel | Slots, roulette, card table games, food, and cruise entertainment |
| Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort | Cherokee, North Carolina | Large casino resort | More than 1,800 rooms | Approximately 3,270 slots, 160 table games, sportsbook, dining, spa, events, bowling, arcade, and retail |
| Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel | Near Murphy, North Carolina | Smaller casino resort | 300-room hotel | Approximately 1,280 slots, 70 table games, sportsbook, dining, bowling, arcade, and bar |
| Catawba Two Kings Casino | Kings Mountain, North Carolina | Operating casino with larger resort development planned | Future hotel components should not be treated as open | Active gaming; planned resort additions include expanded gaming, dining, retail, hotel, and guest services |
The gaming counts above for the two Harrah’s properties are operator-reported figures and can change. Sailing schedules, prices, game availability, promotions, restaurants, and entertainment should be confirmed directly with the relevant operator before traveling.
Why Myrtle Beach does not have a traditional casino
South Carolina does not have ordinary land-based casinos in Myrtle Beach. Guidance from the South Carolina Department of Revenue states that gambling devices and machines used for gambling are unlawful on ordinary premises. The state’s legal framework does, however, distinguish casino cruises that conduct gaming beyond South Carolina’s territorial waters.
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That is why The Big “M” departs from Little River rather than operating as a casino building on the Grand Strand. The departure point is marketed to Myrtle Beach-area visitors, but Little River is a separate community north of central Myrtle Beach, and the gaming takes place aboard the vessel after it travels offshore.
North Carolina uses a different legal model. Its Class III gaming framework permits casino gaming on qualifying federally recognized tribal lands when the required Tribal-State compact and federal approvals are in place. The three North Carolina properties below are the operating casino destinations identified in the current official and operator information supplied for this guide.
1. The Big “M” Casino — Ship I
Address: 4491 Waterfront Avenue, Little River, South Carolina 29566.
Ship I is the most direct answer for a Myrtle Beach visitor who wants a casino outing without leaving the coastal area. It is not a land-based casino; it is a casino ship that leaves the Little River waterfront and conducts gaming offshore.
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The operator states that Ship I sails year-round. Passengers must be at least 21 and must bring government-issued photo identification. The cruise combines casino gaming with time on the water, food, and onboard amenities, making it a different kind of evening or day trip from a conventional casino resort.
The practical advantage is proximity to the Grand Strand compared with the inland North Carolina properties. The trade-off is that the experience depends on a sailing schedule, weather, boarding procedures, and the length of the cruise. Do not assume that a particular departure time, restaurant, game, or onboard event will be available on every sailing.
2. The Big “M” Casino — Ship II
Ship II is the second Big “M” vessel departing from Little River, minutes from the Myrtle Beach area. It should be counted as a separate cruise experience if the article is listing individual vessels, but it is not a separate land-based casino property from The Big “M” brand.
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The current operator information specifically lists slots, roulette, and card table games aboard Ship II. It also states that the ship sails year-round, recommends reservations, requires passengers to clear security before departure, and operates on a cash-only basis once aboard.
Those details make Ship II especially important to plan for. Bring acceptable identification, allow time for security and boarding, and do not rely on a credit card or mobile payment once you are on the vessel if the operator’s cash-only rule remains in effect. Confirm the departure schedule and current requirements before leaving for the waterfront.
Ship II is a good fit for travelers who want the cruise itself to be part of the entertainment. It is less suitable for someone looking for a hotel-connected casino with a large permanent gaming floor, multiple restaurants, convention space, or a long list of resort amenities.
3. Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort
Location: Cherokee, North Carolina, in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Harrah’s Cherokee is the largest and most comprehensive casino-resort option in this group. It is not a quick Myrtle Beach attraction; it is a long western North Carolina road trip. The setting in Cherokee also makes it a natural choice for visitors combining casino entertainment with the Smoky Mountains.
Caesars’ property information describes more than 3,000 games, more than 1,800 hotel rooms, 12 dining options, an 18,000-square-foot spa, retail shops, a convention center, a 3,000-plus-seat Event Center, Caesars Sportsbook, access to Sequoyah National Golf Club, and an UltraStar entertainment center with bowling, an arcade, and bars.
Operator-reported corporate figures list approximately 222,600 square feet of casino space, 3,270 slot machines, and 160 table games. These numbers are useful for understanding the resort’s scale, but they should not be treated as permanent inventory; casinos change their floors and offerings over time.
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For a traveler who wants the closest thing in this list to a destination casino resort—with lodging, dining, live entertainment, spa facilities, and non-gaming activities—Cherokee is the strongest choice. It also gives groups more options when not everyone wants to gamble.
4. Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel
Location: Near Murphy, North Carolina.
Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River is a smaller alternative to the Cherokee resort. It is also in western North Carolina, so it belongs in a separate road-trip itinerary rather than a same-day Myrtle Beach plan.
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Valley River makes sense for travelers who want to stay near Murphy or build a western North Carolina trip around a smaller casino resort. Its lower reported inventory compared with Cherokee can be an advantage for visitors who prefer a more compact property, although it has fewer rooms, games, and non-gaming facilities than the larger Cherokee resort.
As with Cherokee, check current casino-floor details, sportsbook availability, dining hours, events, and hotel availability directly before booking. Operator-reported numbers and amenities can change.
5. Catawba Two Kings Casino
Address: 538 Kings Mountain Boulevard, Kings Mountain, North Carolina.
Catawba Two Kings is the most geographically plausible major casino road-trip option for many visitors coming from the Carolinas’ eastern and central population centers. It is near Charlotte and the South Carolina border, but it is not in Myrtle Beach and should not be described as a local Grand Strand casino.
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The casino is owned by the Catawba Nation and operated through the Catawba Nation Gaming Authority. The active casino phase is open. The current project record supplied for this guide identifies the first phase as having opened on May 20, 2026, with Delaware North reporting the opening.
The operator’s casino information confirms active gaming at the Kings Mountain property. The wider resort project is expected to add or expand gaming, food and beverage, retail, hotel, and guest-service components, but those future-build features should not be presented as already open. Travelers should distinguish the operating first phase from the larger planned development.
Two Kings is therefore best viewed as an evolving casino destination rather than a fully completed resort. Confirm the current gaming floor, restaurants, entertainment, hotel status, and construction-related access information before making a special trip.
Which option is best for your trip?
Choose The Big “M” if you want the closest coastal experience
The two Big “M” ships are the only entries in this guide that serve the Myrtle Beach-area market directly. Choose one if you want a casino cruise, ocean views, and a self-contained outing from Little River. Remember that the attraction is the combination of sailing and gaming—not a permanent casino floor on land.
Choose Harrah’s Cherokee for a full destination resort
Cherokee is the best fit for a longer trip with a large casino, hotel, multiple dining choices, spa facilities, live events, retail, and family-oriented entertainment options such as bowling and an arcade.
Choose Valley River for a smaller western North Carolina resort
Valley River offers hotel-connected gaming and entertainment near Murphy, with a smaller reported casino footprint than Cherokee. It is a practical choice when Murphy and the surrounding western North Carolina region are already part of the itinerary.
Choose Two Kings for a Kings Mountain or Charlotte-area itinerary
Catawba Two Kings is the logical choice for travelers heading toward Kings Mountain or the Charlotte region. Its operating first phase should be evaluated on what is open now, not on the full resort plan described for later development.
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Planning a casino trip from Myrtle Beach
- Decide whether you want a cruise or a resort. Little River provides the coastal casino-ship experience. Cherokee, Valley River, and Two Kings are inland casino properties reached by road.
- Verify the exact departure or operating information. Big “M” schedules and prices may change. Reservations are recommended for Ship II, and both ships have boarding and security procedures.
- Bring valid identification. Ship I requires government-issued photo identification, and passengers must be at least 21. Confirm the current age and identification rules for the specific experience you choose.
- Plan payment methods. Ship II’s current operator information says gaming is cash-only once aboard. Make any necessary arrangements before boarding rather than assuming cards or mobile payments will work.
- Allow for a road trip. Cherokee, Valley River, and Kings Mountain are not Myrtle Beach neighborhoods. Travel time varies substantially with the starting point, traffic, season, weather, and route, so use a current map for your own departure point instead of relying on a generic drive-time promise.
- Check what is actually open. This is especially important at Catawba Two Kings, where the larger resort remains under development. Future hotel, dining, retail, or entertainment plans are not proof that those facilities are operating today.
- Book lodging according to the property, not the headline. For an overnight itinerary, compare casino-resort lodging with independent hotels near the relevant destination. Cherokee and Valley River have on-property hotel rooms; Catawba’s larger hotel component is part of planned development, not something to assume is open. Little River is a separate coastal stop, so lodging there should be evaluated as a Myrtle Beach-area base rather than casino hotel accommodation.
- Consider transportation realistically. Because the destinations are spread across the coast, foothills, mountains, and Charlotte-area region, a rental car can make a multi-stop Carolinas casino road trip more flexible. No single route or driving time fits every traveler: start point, season, traffic, and itinerary matter.
Preparing to play blackjack responsibly
Several of the resort properties offer live table games, and the Big “M” operator lists card table games on Ship II. If you plan to play blackjack, a basic blackjack strategy card can be a useful educational reference for standard decisions before you sit down. It does not predict cards, change the house edge to a guaranteed win, or turn gambling into an income plan; use it to learn, not to chase losses.
Before playing, decide how much money and time you are willing to spend. Treat the amount as entertainment spending, never as rent, bill, or investment money. Do not increase a budget to recover losses, and take a break if the activity stops feeling recreational. Casino staff can explain property-specific responsible-gambling safeguards, and travelers who are worried about their gambling should seek help through an appropriate state or national problem-gambling service.
What should not be added to the list
The number should not be padded with closed operators, proposed casinos, ordinary entertainment venues, unrelated riverboat cruises, or sportsbooks described as separate casinos. A sportsbook may be part of a casino resort, but it is not automatically another casino property. Similarly, the two Big “M” ships can be listed separately as vessels or experiences, but they remain part of one operator and one Little River casino-cruise operation.
Using that careful definition produces five current, identifiable casino experiences in the Myrtle Beach-area and Carolinas scope: two vessels from The Big “M” and three North Carolina tribal casino properties. It does not produce 10 land-based casinos in Myrtle Beach.
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Gaming floors, table games, hotel rooms, sailing times, prices, events, restaurant hours, sportsbook operations, and construction schedules are volatile. Confirm the details directly with The Big “M,” Caesars, or Catawba Two Kings immediately before booking. Legal information can also change, so the South Carolina Department of Revenue guidance and North Carolina’s current Class III gaming framework should be treated as the starting point for understanding the rules—not as a substitute for current legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there casinos in Myrtle Beach?
There are no traditional land-based casinos in Myrtle Beach. The Myrtle Beach-area casino option is The Big “M” Casino, which operates two casino ships from Little River, north of Myrtle Beach. Gaming takes place offshore aboard the vessels.
How many casino experiences are near Myrtle Beach and in the Carolinas?
Five defensible experiences are identified in this guide: The Big “M” Ship I, The Big “M” Ship II, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel, and Catawba Two Kings Casino. The first two are vessels operated by the same Little River casino-cruise company.
What are the legal casinos in North Carolina?
The current operating properties identified in the supplied official and operator information are Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel, and Catawba Two Kings Casino. North Carolina Class III gaming operates on qualifying tribal lands under the relevant compact and federal approvals.
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Its first casino phase is operating, but the broader resort remains under development. Planned hotel, dining, retail, entertainment, and expanded gaming features should not be assumed to be open until the operator confirms them.
What identification and age rules apply to The Big “M”?
The operator states that Ship I passengers must be at least 21 and must carry government-issued photo identification. Ship II also has security and boarding requirements. Confirm the current rules with the operator before departure.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Myrtle Beach does not have 10 land-based casinos—or even one. Its local casino experience is The Big “M,” with two casino ships departing from Little River. Travelers willing to make a longer road trip can choose among Harrah’s Cherokee, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River, and Catawba Two Kings in North Carolina. Count the ships separately as cruise experiences, keep future resort plans separate from open facilities, and verify every schedule, amenity, and gaming detail before traveling.
