COLUMBIA, S.C. - A bill allowing local governments to ban casino boats has hit a roadblock, but supporters say it can still pass before the Legislature adjourns in June.

The proposal didn't come up for a vote in either the House or Senate on Thursday, meaning it missed a May 1 deadline. Bills that don't pass at least one chamber by the end of the week would need a two-thirds vote to be considered on the other side of the Statehouse.

South Carolina currently has no law against so-called cruises to nowhere in which casino boats take passengers offshore past the 3-mile line marking the end of state territorial waters. Once past that line, passengers may play slot machines and table games like blackjack, poker and roulette.

In the Senate, a bill allowing local governments to regulate or ban the boats was under debate Thursday when Sen. Robert Ford, who goes on gambling cruises about three times a month, took the floor and said he wanted to talk for a few hours.

Ford, D-Charleston, didn't speak for long before the senators voted to adjourn for the week.

In the House, the casino boat bill was on its agenda, but did not get to the floor for debate.

But even with the hurdle of a two-thirds vote, supporters in both chambers think the bill has a chance.

A solid majority of the House supports the bill, where a ban on the boats has passed three times by a wide margin, said Rep. Vida Miller, D-Pawleys Island.

In the Senate, only three or four senators are against the bill, said Sen. Dick Elliott, D-North Myrtle Beach.

The only place casino boats currently sail from in South Carolina is Little River in Horry County.

Georgetown County tried to ban the boats, but a judge ruled last year that power remains only with the state. However, the boats must stay away while the ruling is appealed to the state Supreme Court.

Before Ford took over the Senate floor, the debate on the casino boat bill turned into discussion about if the Catawba Indian tribe should be allowed to open a bingo parlor in Orangeburg County.

The Catawbas have proposed a high-stakes video bingo parlor near Santee that would be connected with other bingo games across the country. A bill allowing the tribe to open the hall failed last year.

Sen. John Matthews, D-Bowman, wanted to know why bingo is different from casino boat gambling and how some counties can be treated differently from others.

"What you're planning to do in Orangeburg is not bingo, it's a major departure from what we have in South Carolina," said Sen. Wes Hayes, R-Rock Hill.