Gambling On The Water

Once, a casino cruise was the lone authorized way to gamble in the US besides Las Vegas and Atlantic City before the online gambling revolution. The history of riverboat casinos and gambling cruises goes back to the start of the 19th century when the Mississippi River was the main trade hub for both farmers and merchants. The two decades prior to the Civil War saw the best of lavish riverboat gambling.

Cruise Passengers can now Enjoy Gambling as an On-Board Event

A cruise ship is the ideal vacation spot for the avid gambler, because while by day it may call at ports that do not have casinos, by night the on-board casinos are always open, once the ship is three miles offshore in international waters. As long as you’re over the age of 18, you can enjoy gambling while at sea and the cruise ship casino is usually very popular. Like land-based and riverboat casinos, always be mindful of how much you’re spending.

Reminiscent of land-based and riverboat gambling, on a cruise ship you’ll find slot machine games, blackjack, Mega Cash, Caribbean Stud Poker, Wheel of Fortune and a host of other games. Some lines even offer casino lessons at the beginning of each cruise. Bingo is also available on many ships.

Whether you’re doing cruise ship gambling or you’re playing in riverboat casinos, keep in mind that the dealers are rooting for you, and above all, they want you to have fun. Their tips are likely to rise in proportion to your winnings, so it is in their best interest to keep you happy. However, casinos are not designed to make winning a frequent experience, so imagine how difficult it is for them to make people who are losing money have fun. Always be considerate of their feelings, and treat them with respect.

The cruise ship casino experience continues to expand and become more elaborate. A lot of passengers think of them a vital feature of the any cruise they take, and almost every cruise line has them. The design of these casinos is very elaborate, for example Crystal’s cruise ships include “Caesars at Sea,” an ocean version of the popular Vegas casino. It features five blackjack tables, baccarat, a roulette wheel, a craps table, and over 80 slot machines.

Why Riverboat Gambling?

Many states authorized riverboat gambling to limit the areas where casinos could be built. When first approved, these locations were required to actually be on ships that could sail way from the port. In Indiana and many other states, the boats are no longer required to leave dock and a few don’t even hire a captain and crew for on board. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, several southern states are now allowing casinos to be built on land with certain concessions.