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Florida Casino Boat Can't Keep Up with Customers

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – As reported by the Tampa Tribune: "Business is good for Tampa Bay area's first major gaming ship, The Ocean Jewel, which has been in operation about a month.

"Perhaps too good. The operator of the Ocean Jewel says there are plenty of customers, but not enough space on three shuttle boats that ferry customers to and from the gaming boat. Shuttles transport customers from The Port of St. Petersburg to the ship in international waters, where state gaming laws don't apply.

"The problem: hundreds of customers have been left waiting on the docks for up to 90 minutes until another shuttle arrives.

"`More people came than we were ready for,' said Howard Steffes, president and Chief executive Officer of Titan Cruise Lines, the owner of the Ocean Jewel. `We just didn't anticipate the surge we had.'

"…Steffes said the company has hired two additional crews to double shuttle operations to as much as 20 hours a day by next week…"

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