Georgetown Country filed an appeal to the Supreme Court against the lower court decision to allow casino boats. The appeal was filed although last year a new state law claims that the local cities or countries have the authority to either forbid or permit operations of casino boats.

Wallace Cheves sued the Georgetown County in 2003 for forbidding him to operate a casino boat in Murrells Inlet. In 2004, the circuit court decided that the county could not ban casino boats. The federal law permits boats to operate offshore casino cruises unless a state rule forbids them. Georgetown County filed an appeal even though the county authorities did not recommend about it, considering the local control law, passed by the state in 2003.

Efforts to ban the casino boats failed in those years because the Charleston area official did not want to get in the way of the ships that docked in the city and had gambling rooms in them. Some weeks later, the first casino boat was operated in Murrells Inlet. It stayed in Murrells Inlet no more than several weeks because usually the boat was stuck in the mud. After dredging the inlets channel a few years ago, the interest of operating a casino boat raised again. Georgetown County passed a new regulation on casino boats, supported by the new state law. The city of Georgetown decided to forbid casino boats in its limits.