The Victori Casino ship found a new home in Little River Wednesday, three miles south of the N.C.-S.C. border, and plans to launch Friday.

Casino boat operator Dewayne Williams is now doubling his bets on South Carolina, saying he'll move a second boat into Murrells Inlet within the next three months.

Williams had planned on launching the Victori Casino from Murrells Inlet, but last weekend's inaugural voyage was stymied at the last minute when the U.S. Coast Guard docked the boat. During a test run taken around 7 p.m., while hundreds of hopeful passengers waited on the shore, the boat hit bottom three times.

Williams considered dredging the channel or anchoring the boat in deeper waters and shuttling passengers to it.

But he decided he could launch the boat sooner if he moved it to Little River, a 3,500-resident fishing village known as the northern gateway to the Grand Strand.

"We just can't wait another week," Williams said.

The Victori is the first offshore gambling boat to arrive in South Carolina. A federal judge ruled last month that such boats are legal, as long as the gambling occurs three-miles offshore, in international waters.

The three-deck Victori catamaran left for Little River at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Williams said. It'll launch from a dock at 4491 Waterfront Ave. He said

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water depth won't be a problem because Little River is on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Nevertheless, the U.S. Coast Guard will still have to give Williams the thumbs up before he can launch Friday. The Coast Guard is scheduled to inspect the boat today.

"We'll have plenty of water," Williams said. "It's a great little fishing village. Everybody up there has been really supportive."

Little River business owners had heard rumors the boat might be moving to their village, so they weren't surprised with Wednesday's news. They greeted it enthusiastically.

"I think it will be good for the area," said Joe Robertson, the owner of Captain Juels Hurricane, a waterfront restaurant. "It'll bring all the people down."

Andrew Thielen, the executive director of the Little River Chamber of Commerce, said he hoped the boat will help local businesses.

"I think that if it's done in an upscale fashion, it can be an enjoyable addition to the community," Thielen said. "We have a lot of businesses down at the waterfront that could benefit from it."

The Victori Casino has roulette wheels, 190 slot machines and 16 gaming tables where gamblers can try their luck at poker and blackjack. The five-hour cruises cost $19.

Williams said he has another, smaller boat he plans to use in Murrells Inlet, but that it won't be ready for another two or three months. Because that boat weighs less, he said, he expects it to have an easy time docking at Murrells Inlet. If there's a problem, he said he'll either dredge or shuttle passengers.

"We're not abandoning Murrells Inlet," Williams said. "We'll be back."