Elected leaders of coastal counties and municipalities now have the opportunity to keep casino boats from operating out of their jurisdictions, thanks to a law approved by the General Assembly and signed by the governor last week. They should waste no time in exercising their new authority to ban gambling cruises to nowhere.

The law for local option was enacted after Georgetown County's bid to halt the operation of a casino boat was overturned by a circuit court judge who concluded that the county didn't have that authority under state law. That shortcoming has been addressed with the local option bill sponsored by coastal legislators.

Many of the bill's sponsors, including Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, and Rep. Vida Miller, D-Georgetown, would have preferred an outright ban on casino boats. Unfortunately, gambling interests in the state still have friends in the Legislature who were willing to block a statewide ban. Nevertheless, the local option bill is an important accomplishment for the session.

With the ruling on the Georgetown case, local communities faced a certain threat from casino boat owners who wanted to expand their operations along the coast. The cruises to nowhere take patrons outside the three-mile limit, where the state's jurisdiction ends, for casino gambling. With the exception of the state lottery, gambling is illegal in South Carolina.

Casino boats have operated out of the Horry County community of Little River under a loophole in the law that has been interpreted by the state Supreme Court to say that they are allowed unless banned by state law. The Legislature has now delegated that authority to local governments. Under the terms of the compromise, however, Little River can continue to host casino boats for five years.

Georgetown County and the town of Edisto Island previously made their opposition known, and the bill makes their actions effective retroactively. The broad support by coastal legislators for the local option bill likely reflects the public sentiment of their constituents.

But if elected officials have a question about whether there is public support for gambling cruises to nowhere, they have the opportunity to hold public hearings to gauge it. One North Charleston City councilman, for example, has said he likes the idea, because of the potential for revenue.

Before the bill's passage, casino boat owners stated their intention to expand their profitable operations. Now that the "opt out" option is law, it should have the attention of every local community in coastal South Carolina.