All You Need to Know About the Florida Casino Cruises
By
Jane Shaw
Senior Editor Updated: 11/21/2022
We count on Jane to inform our readers about the latest slot games in the US market. With her passion for video games and a degree in engineering, she’s our gambling tech expert. Jane’s also active in our blog section, where she tackles the curiosities and changes in the industry.
Florida Casino Cruises
If you hail from the Sunshine state, you have probably heard of the famous Florida casino cruises, even if you haven’t personally been to one. They are somewhat of an iconic landmark in the state with tourists and locals alike visiting in drones every year. This is why we thought we should discuss it with you today, so you can learn more about this interesting gambling phenomenon in sunny Florida.
How Does Florida Gambling Law Work
Gambling law in Florida is quite interesting in the sense that it allows for a certain gray area that in its turn can bring us fascinating gambling experiences that are technically legal or at least not regulated. This is the case for casino boats in Florida, which is why we figured we should give you some information about them.
In this article, we will discuss Florida gambling law, especially how casino cruises work according to it. Then, we will give you information about all the available Florida casino cruises. If you like visiting casinos in Florida, but you seek a new experience, you should check out the gambling ships in Florida.
- ⚖️ Gambling Law and Casino Boats in Florida
- 📜Current State of Gambling Boats in Florida
- 🛳️ List of Florida Casino Boats
- 🎰 Day Casino Cruises in Florida
- ✨ Longer Casino Cruises in Florida
Gambling Law and Casino Boats in Florida
The legal situation concerning Florida casino boats is murky. Yes, you can legally purchase a ticket for a casino cruise Florida and you can safely gamble there, but the law is not that explicit in its designation of gambling across the water. Let’s take a look to see what we mean.
To begin with, on-ship gambling does not occur in Florida. You cannot simply go to the ship, play a couple of hands, and then leave within the hour. You have to book a Florida casino cruise, and then wait until the ship leaves the port to begin your maritime gambling adventure.
Why do we mention that? Because the most important legal aspect of gambling, whether you believe it or not, is jurisdiction. If gambling on casino boats does not happen in Florida, then the state has no jurisdiction to penalize neither the boat’s owners nor the players. Welcome to loophole number one.
As long as the boat enters international waters, which start at 3 nautical miles (from shore to the Atlantic Ocean) and 9 nautical miles (from shore to the Gulf of Mexico), then gambling can technically occur since the boat will no longer be in state or federal jurisdiction.
Loophole number two is a little bit trickier. While gambling can occur in international waters, the boat will eventually return to Florida, along with its slot machines and card tables. The state can theoretically seize these gambling devices once they fall under their jurisdiction.
In order to avoid that, businesses conducting Florida casino cruises have to prove (if they are asked to) that they can legally own them. They have to look at the Johnson Act and find out if they are exempt from it. If the gambling devices are only used outside the maritime limits of the state or the US and they stay on board while in the state, then the private business can own them.
The state can, however, ban the repair of the devices according to the law when the device enters the state’s jurisdiction (where most repairs occur). This is only a slight issue though and the State of Florida doesn’t seem to have problems with letting companies repair their gambling devices in the state.
There is another potential issue, which can be much harder to overcome. In order for vessels to be allowed to bring their gambling devices in Florida, they should have an intervening stop in another state or country. “Cruises to nowhere” don’t, that’s why they’re called that way.
However, if the vessel is not of US registry, Florida law makes an exception. Still, an American company can’t easily fly another flag, because of federal immigration law, so this loophole is pretty much closed. Despite all these legal conundrums though, gambling ships in Florida do exist and people still like them.
Current State of Gambling Boats in Florida
The first casino boats in Florida emerged in 1984. At the height of the industry, Florida casino cruises occurred on more than two dozen of ships or almost every single day. That’s no longer the case, however.
Casino boats in Florida have rapidly declined in number in the past 15 years due to a variety of factors. The first factor is competition. When the State of Florida entered a compact with the Seminole tribe in 2007 that allowed the tribe to open casinos with Vegas-style gaming, the casino boats suffered.
Many people preferred the land-based casino options, because there was no maximum on the number of players (unlike boats’ safety restrictions), you can also leave and return at any time, and it’s just easier to drive to the casino. On top of that, gas prices reached unprecedented heights the same year with the cost of marine fuel doubling.
The next year, 2008, the Great Recession started and it wrecked the Florida economy, which wasn’t in a good shape to begin with. The same year, Florida banned casino boats from dumping their wastewater in the sea, which required expensive new systems to be built for boats to continue operation.
As a result of all these issues that occurred over such a short period, most casino boat operators left the market in a short succession. Currently, only two companies in Florida still offer “cruises to nowhere” – Victory Casino Cruises and Tropical Breeze Casino.
List of Florida Casino Boats
The sun has sadly almost set on casino boats in Florida due to a wide variety of factors. There were dozens of gambling ships in Florida before land-based casinos took over, and now there are only a few companies that offer a maritime gambling experience. Here’s a list of short Florida casino cruises:
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Victory Casino Cruises | Port Canaveral |
| Tropical Breeze Casino | Port Richey |
| Blue Horizon Casino Cruises | Port of Palm Beach |
| Royal Caribbean | Port Canaveral |
| Margaritaville at Sea | Port of Palm Beach |
| Carnival Cruise Line | Port of Miami & Port of Tampa |
| Celebrity Cruises | Port of Miami, Port of Tampa, & Port of Fort Lauderdale |
| Holland American Line | Port of Fort Lauderdale |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | Port of Miami, Port of Tampa, & Port Canaveral |
| Princess Cruises | Port of Fort Lauderdale |
Day Casino Cruises in Florida
As we already mentioned, only two cruise lines offer day casino cruises in Florida – Victory Casino Cruises and Tropical Breeze Casino. You can always hop on their boats if you feel like gaming. Victory Casino Cruises have 6 sailing days out of 7 (not on Monday), and Tropical Breeze Casino has 5 sailing days (not on Tuesday and Wednesday).
Victory Casino Cruises sail from Port Canaveral and Tropical Breeze Casino sails from Port Richey. The average duration of each trip is between five and six hours. In terms of games, you can find a wide variety of gaming facilities on both ships.
Victory Casino Cruises offer slots, blackjack, live craps, live roulette, EZ Baccarat, Ultimate Texas Hold’Em, Mississippi Stud, 3 Card Poker, Let it Ride, and bingo, along with sports betting. Victory is the only place where you can wager on sports in Florida.
Tropical Breeze Casino in its turn offers slots, blackjack, craps, 3 Card Poker, roulette, and Let it Ride. That’s not only it, other cruises offer exclusive tournaments for a variety of casino games, so make sure you check their events. There’s also fine and affordable dining options on board, which is a big plus.
Longer Casino Cruises in Florida
If you’d like to go on a longer (but not too long) casino cruise in Florida, there are a couple of companies that offer 2 to 3 days cruises and have amazing gaming facilities on board, along with other types of entertainment, like music shows, because they’re more of a cruise rather than a casino. In addition, some cruise lines like Carnival even have kid’s clubs.
You will get to enjoy their five-star dining, and naturally, the complimentary drinks at their casinos. You can find a wide variety of games on each of these cruises, ranging from slots to many different types of card games. In addition, each ship (even those belonging to the same company) has its own game variations, so there’s a bit of a surprise when you board.
Once you satisfy your gambling desires, you’ll arrive at your destination. Most of these cruises go to the Bahamas, mostly to the island of Nassau or Grand Bahama Island. Some companies even go to their very own islands; Norwegian Cruise Lines offers casino cruises to Great Stirrup Cay, while Holland America Line to Half Moon Cay.
All companies board at different ports across Florida. If you want a casino cruise Tampa, you can hop on one of the ships belonging to Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, or Norwegian Cruise Line. Alternatively, if you want a casino cruise Miami you can choose between Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, or Norwegian Cruise Line.
All of these gambling ships in Florida are top-notch, so it’s up to you to choose which one you prefer based on the games they offer, the onboard entertainment and prices. Players seem to favor Royal Caribbean for its fantastic deals and the fact that the three-day cruise takes them to two amazing locations in the Bahamas.
