Day Gambling Cruises In Florida
Gamblers who like the taste of salty sea air and the sound of ocean waves crashing beneath their feet can enjoy one-day casino cruises in several areas of the United States, including Florida. At port, gambling may still be against the law, but once a cruise ship hits international waters, gambling becomes legal for all passengers age 21 and over.
While on a gambling day trip at sea, the casino amenities mirror that of a brick and mortar casino: slot machines, table games, cold drinks, buffets, entertainment. Florida, with its lengthy coast line, is a prime location for casino ships to set up shop at its various breathtaking ports. The casino ship industry in Florida, however, is not exactly flourishing. In fact, it has seen enough ups and downs to become seasick.
Victory Casino Cruises sails 7 days a week, twice daily and features Vegas-style gaming with craps, roulette, blackjack, mini-baccarat, 3-card poker, ultimate Texas hold'em and region's only sportsbook. Blue Horizon Casino Cruises, Riviera Beach: Address, Phone Number, Blue Horizon Casino Cruises Reviews: 2.5/5.
Unfortunately for casino cruise fans, Florida has seen many casino boat closures in the past decade. As of 2004, the Florida Day Cruise Association reported that there were 17 casino boats sailing in the state. In 2008, that number dwindled down to 14. Today, there are even fewer gambling boats available in Florida. The Big M and Victory Casino Cruises are two of Florida's main sailing options.
The Big M
The Big M is a casino cruiser that sails out of Moss Marine in Ft. Myers Beach, Fla. The ship offers Vegas-style casino action including multiple-line slots and traditional table games. For six hours, guests can wander the decks trying their luck. When they get hungry, or when money runs out, they can enjoy fine buffet food and entertainment.
The ship's prices are quite reasonable. It costs just $10 to board the Big M. Buffet meals raise the price up to $20-$30, depending on which day of the week it is. The Big M also operates a successful gambling cruise ship out of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Victory Casino
The Victory Casino cruises out of Port Canaveral, Fla., seven days per week. The ship offers four decks with over 600 slot machines, blackjack tables with $5 and $10 minimums, sports betting at a full bar with specialty drinks, and other casino standards like roulette, craps, and poker.
When not gambling, guests can savor different international dishes at a world buffet and partake of drinks and dancing at Big Norm's Club V. Those who enjoy sipping cocktails by the sea can relax with a frosty drink at the Coral Side Tiki Bar. Like the Big M, the basic boarding price for the cruise is $10. Also like the Big M, costs rise a bit for guests who plan to partake of a meal.
Sunken Florida Gambling Ship: The Black Diamond
Florida witnessed the recent rise and fall of a new casino ship in Palm Beach called the 'Black Diamond.' In November 2012, the Black Diamond opened its doors to the public. The ship, operated out of Port Palm Beach, offered nightly gambling cruises and also morning cruises Wednesday through Sunday. Passengers enjoyed bingo, sports betting, a floor of 250 slot machines, and table games like baccarat, blackjack, and roulette. Evening cruises featured a sit-down dinner and live piano entertainment.
Unfortunately for Black Diamond customers, the ship closed down in February 2013 without fulfilling all of its reservations. Unfortunately for the 100 people employed by the cruise line, their employer abruptly cut them off that same month, only three months after the grand opening. As of February 19, 2013, employees had not been paid and customers with reservations had not been refunded.
Employees of the gambling ship found out about the cessation of their employment in an unfortunate way. CEO Steven Craig claimed he was going to tell them about the boat's closure, but dragged his feet so long that an on-site reporting news channel, WPTV News 5 out of Palm Beach, broke the news to the employees instead. According to reporters, employees who had shown up for work began to cry as they realized that not only was their place of employment closing, but also that their paychecks were nowhere to be found.
Craig explained to News 5 reporters that the ship was closing for a while, and if it re-opened in the future, he would call some of the employees back. This revelation caused quite an angry stir amongst Palm Beach community members.
One commenter indicated that she would have loved to take a day cruise on the ship, but had no idea it was even there. Speculations as to what caused the business's early and abrupt demise included the fact that CEO Craig did very little advertising. Many community members did not even know the service existed.
Good News: A New Port of Palm Beach Casino Cruise Line
Effective May 1st, 2013, Island Breeze International will take over the Black Diamond. Island Breeze is an owner and operator of entertainment cruise ships whose goal is to lead the cruise ship entertainment industry. The company plans to make renovations to the boat and open its doors to the public for day cruises starting in August, 2013. Unlike the Black Diamond, the Island Breeze company plans to advertise heavily. They have signed a 10-year lease with the port.
Other Sunken Ships
The Black Diamond is not the only ship to sink before its time. The once-popular SunCruz at Hollywood docked for good in 2005. A Florida gambling ship called the 'Big Easy,' once operated out of the port of St. Petersburg, closed in late 2009. The Discovery Cruise line, which once provided day gambling trips to the Bahamas, closed in 2011.
The gambling cruise ship industry in Florida is not a stable one. With the recent closure of Internet cafes and senior arcades in Florida (read here), citizens looking for places to gamble still have one sure bet: the 137 brick and mortar casinos in the state, most of which are located on Florida's vast and beautiful coast line.
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The Sunshine state is a casino haven for many gamblers. Their tribal casinos are dotted across the southern part of the state. They also have pari-mutuel casinos, casino cruises, and agreat state lottery.
As of now, Florida does not allow online casinos or sportsbooks. They were slated to have serious discussions about legalization in 2020. But that now seems postponed to 2021.
Still, Florida has some exciting opportunities for land-based casino lovers.
Online Casinos in Florida
Although Florida has a long tradition with some great landbased casinos, it has not legalized online casinos. There have been discussions about legalizing online casinos in the statecapital, but there seems to be little actual motion toward legalization at this point.
Florida does have a state lottery, which can indicate an openness to other forms of betting.
The nearest state where online casinos are legal West Virginia. The online casinos are now operational there!
But, you can still register with a legal online casino while you're in Florida. That means you can get the casino's bonus offers or deposit, and then play whenever you're in stateswhere it's legal. (Do be aware of the casino bonus's expiry date, though.)
Land-Based Casinos in Florida
Florida has a number of different types of land-based casinos.
There are:
- 6 Native American tribal casinos
- casino boats
- 8 pari-mutuel casinos
- state lottery
Types of Casinos in Florida
There are three types of Florida casinos:
- Native American tribal casinos
- casino boats
- gaming machines at pari-mutuels in two south Florida counties
At the moment there is no serious legislation moving toward widening the land-based betting options in Florida.
Tribal Casinos
There are currently six Florida tribal casinos. The Seminole Tribe has five and the sixth is on the Miccosukee Tribe’s reservation.
The Seminoles signed a compact with the state that allows them to offer traditional Class III gaming machines. As part of their compact, five Seminole casinos are also allowed to offer
- blackjack
- baccarat
- mini-baccarat
- three card poker
- let it ride
- pai gow poker
All of the Indian casinos are open 24 hours (except Big Cypress) and all offer bingo except for both Seminole Hard Rock Casinos and the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek.
The minimum gambling age is 18 at all Indian casinos for bingo or poker and 21 for electronic gaming machines.
Pari-mutuel casinos
There are eight pari-mutuel casinos in Florida.
In early 2005 voters in Broward County (home county of Fort Lauderdale) passed a referendum to allow slot machines at four pari-mutuel facilities within that county and all are now inoperation.
In January 2008 voters in Miami-Dade County also passed a referendum permitting slot machines at four pari-mutuel facilities.
Click HERE to see a list of Florida casino slot machine payback statistics.
South Florida’s pari-mutuel facilities (as well as most pari-mutuels throughout the state), also offer poker.
Admission to all casinos is free and they are allowed to be open a maximum of 18 hours per day during the week and 24 hours on the weekends and some holidays.
If you want to order a drink while playing, be aware that Florida gaming regulations do not allow pari-mutuel casinos to provide free alcoholic beverages.
List of Pari-mutuel casinos
- Big Easy Casino
- Calder Casino
- Casino Miami
- [email protected] Beach
- Gulfstream Park
- Hialeah Park Racing & Casino
- Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park
- Magic City Casino
Casino Boats
The casino boats in Florida offer gamblers the opportunity to board ships that cruise offshore where casino gambling is legal. From the west coast, the boats travel nine miles out into the Gulfof Mexico. From the East coast, they travel three miles out into the Atlantic Ocean.
The minimum drinking age on all boats is 21. Due to security restrictions, you must present a photo ID at all casino boats or you will not be allowed to board.
List Of Land-based Casinos In Florida
Day Gambling Cruises In Florida
One Day Gambling Cruises In Florida
Miccosukee Resort and Gaming Center
- Address: 500 SW 177th Ave, Miami, FL 33194
- Hours: ·8am–2am
- Phone: 305-222-4600
- Website: www.mrg.miccosukee.com
Miccosukee Resort and Gaming Center has nearly 70,000 square feet of casino game space. This includes nearly 2,000 slots.
In addition to casino games, they also have high-stakes bingo.
Seminole Casino Brighton
- Address: 17735 Reservation Rd, Okeechobee, FL 34974, United States
- Hours: Open 24 hours
- Phone: +1 800-360-9875
- Website: www.seminolebrightoncasino.com
Seminole Casino Brighton is a 27,000 sq. ft. casino. They have a moderate 400+ slot and gaming machines. They have a number of table games and high-stake bingo.
Seminole Casino Immokalee
- Address: 506 S 1st St, Immokalee, FL 34142
- Hours: Open 24 hours
- Phone: 239-658-1313
- Website: www.seminoleimmokaleecasino.com
Seminole Casino Immokalee has 75,000 sq. ft. of casino action. They have over 30 table games, including: blackjack, baccarat, poker, and pai gow, and 3-card poker. This isin addition to a large selection of slots and video poker machines.
Seminole Classic Casino
- Address: 4150 FL-7, Hollywood, FL 33021
- Hours: Open 24 hours
- Phone: +1 954-961-3220
- Website: www.seminoleclassiccasino.com
Seminole Classic Casino features a 73,500-sq. ft. casino floor with over 1,000 slot machines. They also have live-action table games and a very large high-stakes bingo room.
Seminole Hard Rock Coconut Creek
- Address: 5550 NW 40th St, Coconut Creek, FL 33073
- Hours: Open 24 hours
- Phone: 954-977-6700
- Website: www.seminolecoconutcreekcasino.com
The recently renovated Seminole Hard Rock Coconut Creek hosts over 2000 Las Vegas-style slots. They also offer around 70 live table games, including blackjack, baccarat, 3-card poker, ultimateTexas hold ’em, pai gow poker, let it ride, Spanish 21, casino war.
Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood
- Address: 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood, FL 33314
- Hours: Open 24 hours
- Phone: +1 866-502-7529
- Website: www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com
The Hard Rock Hollywood has a new 30,000 sq. ft. casino gaming area. It offers nearly 200 table games, 3,100 slot machines, and a new 45-table Poker Room.
Seminole Hard Rock Tampa
- Address: 5223 Orient Rd, Tampa, FL 33610, United States
- Hours: Open 24 hours
- Phone: +1 866-388-4263
- Website: www.seminolehardrocktampa.com
If you like size, Seminole Hard Rock Tampa is up your alley. It's huge 245,000 sq. ft. casino is the sixth-largest in the world. They have a great selection of slots, andtable games include everything from blackjack to baccarat, Pai Gow, Casino War, and Let It Ride. Their poker room features Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Seven-Card Stud amongother games.