Gambling Boat Leaves Port Permanently

FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA -- The gambling landscape continues to change in south Florida as a venue that, until recently, had been one of the only outlets for casino play has found itself pushed from the market. SeaEscape, a cruise ship that docked at Ft. Lauderdale, will run from Port Everglades for the last time Sunday.

Since 1987, the ship has provided half-day cruises to nowhere, traveling out past the legal limit so that patrons could enjoy slots, blackjack, and other forms of casino gambling. As those games were not available anywhere on land, the ship did a consistent business.

Now, with advent of full casino gambling at the Seminole casinos and Vegas-style slots at the area's horse and dog tracks, SeaEscape has felt the pinch. Just since the 1st of the year, passengers are down almost 12 percent.

Not able to fend off the challenges presented by the troublesome economy, skyrocketing fuel costs, and the explosive growth of competition, the cruise ship's management has decided a move from Broward County may prove beneficial.

Rumors abound that the ship will be settling in soon at a port somewhere else in Florida; the land gambling proliferation is concentrated in the Broward area, and distance from there might allow the boat to turn a profit once again.

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