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