| Life’s a gamble. But for some of us, the | | | | account. |
| ordinary risks we face each day don’t offer | | | | |
| enough excitement, so we love to indulge in some | | | | Your cruise ship will post the hours when the casino |
| extra gambling for fun (and, hopefully, for profit.) | | | | is open, and it won’t be open when you’re |
| Buying a weekly lottery ticket is enough satisfy | | | | in port. Cruise ship casinos can operate only in |
| many of us, but millions of others prefer neon and | | | | international waters, but during your at sea days, |
| noise with their gambling. For them, there are | | | | you’ll probably be able to gamble between 11:00 |
| casinos. | | | | AM and 2:00 or 3:00 AM. |
| | | | | |
| While Las Vegas and Monte Carlo are the two cities | | | | Many cruise ships have gaming lessons for their |
| best known for their casinos, casinos have begun to | | | | gambling wannabes. The casino staff will, for a small |
| crop up all over the United States. Even so, the | | | | fee, teach you some professional gaming tips before |
| cost of getting to a casino, and paying for lodging | | | | you actually try your luck at the tables. You’ll |
| and meals during your stay, may be more than | | | | be able to play all the classic table games like |
| you’re willing to pay. But what if you could | | | | Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, and Poker. Your cruise |
| have a casino vacation which included the cost of | | | | ship casino will have sot machines in abundance, video |
| your transportation, your lodgings, and your | | | | poker, and for the less sophisticated gambler, lots |
| meals–and by meals, we mean five-star cuisine | | | | and lots of Bingo. The Bingo tournaments are |
| served at any time of the day or night? | | | | usually held during the afternoon. |
| | | | | |
| If that sounds like just the ticket, you should book | | | | One of the silliest, yet most popular, forms of cruise |
| your next vacation on a cruise ship. While most | | | | ship gambling is shipboard horse racing. The cruise |
| people don’t take cruises solely for the | | | | ships don’t have Off-track Betting, so they offer |
| opportunity to gamble, those who do love thee | | | | in its place a game in which players move horses |
| cruise ship casinos. Delightfully laid-back compared to | | | | mounted on poles around a track. The distance of |
| their noisy, crowded Las Vegas counterparts, their | | | | each move is determined by a roll of the dice. The |
| more relaxed atmosphere is due in large part to the | | | | final day of your cruise will be the culmination of the |
| well-trained and friendly dealers who are more than | | | | shipboard horse racing, when passengers are allowed |
| willing to educate passengers on the nuances of table | | | | to buy their horses for a set fee, usually $100, and |
| games. | | | | race for a pot of the entire sales proceeds. Horse |
| | | | | owning passengers will go all out, naming their steeds |
| Most cruise ship casino dealers are, in fact, British or | | | | and even costuming them. Some cruise ships take |
| European, and simply more "civilized" than land-based | | | | 10% of the final pot and award it to the owner of |
| dealers who are under pressure to get as much | | | | the most cleverly dressed horse. |
| money out of each player as possible. | | | | |
| | | | | One more aspect of cruise gambling is that many |
| One thing you won’t get in a cruise ship casino, | | | | ports-of-call for popular cruise lines offer onshore |
| however, is free alcohol. The casino on your ship | | | | gambling in some of the world’s most |
| doesn’t need to entice you to play with drinks, | | | | breathtaking locales. Nassau and Paradise Island in |
| because it’s the only casino available. So while | | | | the Bahamas are just two examples of cruise ship |
| you’re certainly welcome to imbibe as you play, | | | | gambling locales where your real payoff will be in |
| whatever you drink will be charged to your onboard | | | | enjoying the scenery! |