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Casino Boat Deals Battles Locals' Mistrust31 January 2005TARPON SPRINGS, Florida – As reported by the St. Petersburg Times: "…Gambling ships have cruised in and out of Tarpon Springs for a decade, each leaving mistrust in its wake. Down at the docks, eyebrows raise at the mention of the floating casinos as merchants balance their hope for anything that will boost business in the tourist district with wariness over the casinos' sketchy history. "'You'd like to see them stay for a long time, but they don't,' said Mayor Beverley Billiris, who owns property on Dodecanese Boulevard and has rented space to casino boats there. "…It has been more than two years since the last casino boat left, and a new venture is battling those ghosts. "When Mardi Gras Queen Casino employees arrived late last year and began renovating the dock behind Pappas' Riverside Restaurant, the first store they visited refused to sell them 15 piling toppers. It was the same story with coffee vendors, fuel suppliers and paper-goods merchants. "…So one by one, Plauche is tackling that checkered history, trying to disassociate his casino from the others that left bad feelings. "…Casino cruises came to Tarpon Springs in 1994, with the launch of Mr. Lucky , named after the Greek casino ship in the 1943 movie of the same name. The 83-foot-long converted ferry made two daily five-hour trips out to international waters, where the gambling began. After a year and a half, the owners sold the boat. "Other boats followed, turning the Sponge Capital of the World into a slice of Las Vegas, with names such as The Dixie Duck , the Magic Mermaid , Excalibur, El Dorado and Victori. "…Starting Feb. 6, passengers will shuttle from Dodecanese Boulevard on a refurbished whale-watching boat to the casino ship. "…The 186-foot, three-level casino boat will eventually stay out at sea for two weeks at a time, coming in to port only for maintenance and fuel. On board will be 225 slot machines, 15 poker tables, nine blackjack tables and a table each for roulette and dice. One of the casino's highlights will be an extensive series of poker tournaments that include champions from the World Series of Poker…" |