Shipboard Gambling: an Annotated Bibliography

Abstract

This bibliography identifies and describes works about shipboard gambling. Its 126 entries are divided evenly between legal and popular culture sources. A summary of the laws governing shipboard gambling precedes the entries.

I. INTRODUCTION

This bibliography collects and annotates works about shipboard gambling.¹ Parts II–IV, respectively, cover general legal works about shipboard gambling; legal works about cruises to nowhere (“CTN”); and legal works about riverboat casinos. Part V is devoted to popular culture works about shipboard gambling.² Entries are arranged chronologically in descending order.

Works that mention shipboard gambling only in passing are omitted.³ Two other types of works also are omitted: academic dissertations⁴ and legislative reports (whether prepared by staff members or outside consultants).⁵ For all other works, the primary selection criterion used was the work's likely value to a future researcher. As a result, this bibliography, while intended to be comprehensive, should not be treated as exhaustive. To keep things manageable, the focus is on U.S. works.

Although shipboard gambling raises a host of complex issues, the number of legal works about the subject is relatively modest. Undoubtedly, this is because shipboard gambling is a niche activity in a niche area of the law (gambling). In contrast, popular culture works about shipboard gambling are plentiful.

Shipboard gambling occurs on vessels of all shapes and sizes.⁶ A closer look at shipboard gambling in the United States, however, reveals six distinct iterations:

1)
Gambling on early ships (pre-1776). It generally is agreed that when Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, his crews had playing cards (and possibly dice) with them. It is a matter of debate whether any betting occurred.⁷ Pirate ships, on the other hand, expressly banned gambling to maintain order.⁸ The U.S. Navy, established in 1775, continues to have this same policy for the same reason.⁹
2)
Gambling on Mississippi riverboats (1820–90). Initially, riverboat gambling was conducted by honest gamblers who won through their superior skill. Later, it became the redoubt of cardsharps. A lack of federal and state regulation allowed these games to flourish. The Civil War halted such gambling; when peace returned, the riverboats found themselves increasingly displaced by a new mode of transportation: railroads.¹⁰ Nevertheless, the riverboat gambler—smooth, well dressed, and with more than a little larceny in his heart—lives on as an instantly recognizable figure,¹¹ in no small part because of Mark Twain's writings.¹²
3)
Gambling on ships anchored off the coast of Southern California (1928–39). Stationed just beyond the three-mile limit (the traditional dividing line between state waters and the high seas), these ships used small boats (“taxis”) to ferry gamblers back and forth. In 1939, Attorney General Earl Warren put these casinos out of business by convincing the California Supreme Court that the state's anti-gambling laws extended 15 miles from shore.¹³ To prevent future invasions, California convinced Congress to pass the Gambling Ship Act of 1949 (“GSA”),¹⁴ which outlaws shipboard gambling.¹⁵
4)
Gambling on cruise ships on the high seas (since 1975). In 1975, Carnival Cruise Lines opened a full casino on its Mardi Gras cruise ship.¹⁶ Today, nearly all cruise ships that are homeported in the United States feature casinos (a notable exception is the Disney Cruise Line, which offers only bingo). Due to the GSA, such ships can open their casinos only when they are in international waters.¹⁷
5)
Gambling on ships resembling 19th century Mississippi riverboats (since 1989). Needing a new source of revenue, Iowa in 1989 authorized gambling on ships designed to look like historic Mississippi riverboats.¹⁸ Five other states quickly followed Iowa's lead: Illinois (1990), Mississippi (1990), Louisiana (1991), Missouri (1992), and Indiana (1993).¹⁹ Today, nearly all these casinos have moved on shore, the result of changes in the laws governing their operation.²⁰
6)
Gambling on CTN (since 1994). CTN are short voyages (typically 4–6 hours) that start and end in the same port. Gambling on such voyages became legal in 1994 due to a change in the GSA.²¹ While Florida quickly became the industry's leading location, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina, and Texas also participated in the boom. In nearly all instances, however, these enterprises ultimately failed; today, only a handful of struggling survivors remain.²² Although high operating costs were the primary reason for the industry's demise, a wave of new state laws permitting land-based casinos also proved devastating.

Lastly, it should be kept in mind that any vessel can be used to hold “simulated gambling” events.²³ On its blog, for example, Charter One Yachts, a Miami company, provides a detailed description of the gambling parties it throws:
When planning a corporate event or private party in which you want to have a night of gambling, consider hosting a casino yacht party. Gambling on a South Florida yacht is a great way to create a fun-filled, unique and memorable experience for you and your guests. Everyone gets to experience the energy and excitement of a Las Vegas-style casino—with tables, professional dealers and an on-site casino manager—while cruising on the water. Private charter yacht companies like Charter One Yachts offer various themed parties aboard their fleet for their clients. …

Because guests aren't gambling for money, most any Vegas-style game can be played onboard. The more popular gambling on a South Florida yacht includes Texas Hold ’em, blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, slots, video poker, mini-baccarat and Big 6. You can even host a professional blackjack tournament and poker tournament complete with antes, blinds and timed rounds. And because there is no money exchanged, there is no minimum age to play any game—it's up to the host.

Many corporate functions, private parties, bar/bat mitzvahs, fundraisers and special events hosting a night of gambling on a yacht find the casino night theme to be very successful. Each guest is usually given a pre-determined amount of chips or “funny money.” The chips or funny money can then be exchanged for game chips. The object is always the same, have lots of fun and win as much as they can by the end of the party. When the party is over, guests exchange their winning game chips for raffle tickets or more funny money that they can use to bid on auction items or to win prizes, should the party host make them available.²⁴

II. GENERAL WORKS

A. Casebooks
1)
Anthony N. Cabot & Keith C. Miller, The Law of Gambling and Regulated Gaming: Cases and Materials (Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 3d ed. 2021)

Chapter 10 (pages 555–66) of this law school casebook includes a short description of shipboard gambling and reprints key statutory provisions.
2)
Robert M. Jarvis, J. Wesley Cochran & Ronald D. Rychlak, Gaming Law and Gambling Law: Cases, Materials, and Problems (Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2d ed. 2021)

Chapter 7 (pages 563–670) of this law school casebook presents a comprehensive overview of shipboard gambling and reprints excerpts from leading cases.

B. Articles²⁵
3)
William Thompson, Navigating the Tides of Fortune: Wagers on the Sea, 20 Gaming L. Rev. & Econ. 743 (2016)

This article recounts the history of shipboard gambling.
4)
Robert M. Jarvis, Gambling Debts at Sea, 39 J. Mar. L. & Com. 505 (2008)

This article examines the enforceability of gambling debts contracted at shipboard casinos.
5)
Robert D. Faiss & Anthony N. Cabot, Gaming on the High Seas, 8 N.Y. L. Sch. J. Int'l & Comp. L. 105 (1986)

This article highlights the differences between land-based gambling and shipboard gambling.

C. Case notes
6)
Joseph C. Sweeney, Operation of Gambling Ship on High Seas, 1 J. Mar. L. & Com. 144 (1969)

Case note on United States v. Black, 291 F. Supp. 262 (S.D.N.Y. 1968).²⁶
7)
“W.J.H.,” Gross Income—Gambling Venture—Interests of Participants Determined—Deductions—Legal Fees and Expenses—Bad Debts, 22 St. John's L. Rev. 157 (1947)

Case note on Stralla v. Commissioner, 9 T.C. 801 (1947).²⁷
8)
“P.L.P.,” International Law: Jurisdiction of the State of California Over Gambling Ships in Marginal Water, 28 Cal. L. Rev. 521 (1940)

Case note on People v. Stralla, 96 P.2d 941 (Cal. 1939).
9)
Anonymous, International Law: Jurisdiction of State Over Adjoining Territorial Bays, 39 Colum. L. Rev. 1433 (1939)

See the description under entry 8.

D. Continuing legal education materials
10)
Joseph Z. Fleming, River Boats and Cruise Ships: Calm Waters and High Rollers, SF89 ALI-ABA 93 (Mar. 29, 2001) (available on Westlaw)

This paper reproduces pleadings and other court documents from recent Florida CTN lawsuits.
11)
Trudy D. Fountain, Rolling Down the Mississippi from Minnesota to Louisiana and Out Into the High Seas—Riverboat Gambling and Cruise Ship Gambling, SF89 ALI-ABA 79 (Mar. 29, 2001) (available on Westlaw)

This paper provides a primer on the laws governing CTN and riverboat casinos.
12)
Nancy L. Hengen, Riverboat Gaming and the Jones Act, SC91 ALI-ABA 211 (June 25, 1998) (available on Westlaw)

This paper summarizes the laws regulating dockside and riverboat casinos.

III. CRUISES TO NOWHERE

A. Articles
13)
Robert M. Jarvis, Florida's “Cruises-to-Nowhere” Industry: Current Status and Future Prospects, 21 Gaming L. Rev. 18 (2017)

This article traces the rise and fall of Florida's CTN industry.
14)
Robert M. Jarvis, 2007–2008 Survey of Florida Gambling Law, 33 Nova L. Rev. 231 (2008)

This article discusses (pages 238–42) CTN developments in Florida during the period July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008.²⁸
15)
Robert M. Jarvis, Casino Boats and Dram Shop Act Liability, 10 Gaming L. Rev. 247 (2006)

This article explores the liability of CTN operators when their patrons become inebriated.

B. Case notes
16)
Robert M. Jarvis, A Vessel Sailing from the United States Cannot Legally Open Its Casino Until It Reaches the High Seas, 44 J. Mar. L. & Com. 339 (2013)

Case note on United States v. Diamond Casino Cruise, LLC, 2013 WL 103563 (S.D. Ga. 2013).
17)
Shanna L. Peterson, High Stakes and Low Tides: The Fourth Circuit Gambles by Forbidding Riverboat [sic] Casinos in Casino Ventures v. Stewart, 7 Vill. Sports & Ent. L.J. 397 (2000)

Case note on Casino Ventures v. Stewart, 183 F.3d 307 (4th Cir. 1999), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 1077 (2000). The author incorrectly describes the case as involving a riverboat casino instead of a CTN.
18)
Robert M. Jarvis, The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 Does Not Extend the Territorial Sea of the United States for Purposes of the Gambling Ship Act, 29 J. Mar. L. & Com. 449 (1998)

Case note on United States v. One Big Six Wheel, 987 F. Supp. 169 (E.D.N.Y. 1997), aff'd, 166 F.3d 498 (2d Cir. 1999).

IV. RIVERBOAT CASINOS

A. Articles
19)
Oliver M. Barie, Gaming in Indiana, Part Two: The Lottery, 66 Res Gestae 12 (Oct. 2022)

This oddly titled article recounts Indiana's 1993 decision to authorize riverboat casinos.
20)
Catherine C. Masingill, Jumping Ship: Why the Dockside “Vessel” Requirement for Casinos Should be Abandoned, 24 Gaming L. Rev. 102 (2020)

This article argues that Mississippi and Missouri should let their riverboat casinos relocate to land to increase their revenues and protect the environment.
21)
Walter T. Champion, Jr., A Seasick Blackjack Dealer on a Moored Riverboat Casino is Not a “Seaman” Under the Jones Act, 42 N. Ky. L. Rev. 493 (2015)

This article reviews cases involving injured riverboat casino workers filed under the Jones Act,²⁹ a statute that allows “seamen” to sue for negligence.
22)
Brian Clark Stuart, Beaching Casino Location Laws: Why States Should No Longer Require Casinos to Build on or Near the Water, 19 Gaming L. Rev. & Econ. 709 (2015)

This article calls on states to let their riverboat casinos operate on land.
23)
Kevin C. McDowell, Constructive Trusts and the Public Interest: Second Century and the Riverboat Gambling Act, 53 Res Gestae 14 (Sept. 2009)

This article analyzes Zoeller v. East Chicago Second Century, Inc., 904 N.E.2d 213 (Ind. 2009), a case arising from the alleged misuse of community redevelopment funds generated by an Indiana riverboat casino.
24)
Matt Dowd, Suitable Casino Sites in Mississippi: What Are They? Why? What About the Future?, 9 Gaming L. Rev. 325 (2005)

This article discusses the challenge of finding sites in Mississippi at which riverboat casinos can operate legally.
25)
John Givens, The Jones Act, 9 Gaming L. Rev. 453 (2005)

See the description under entry 21.
26)
Brian D. Wallace, Evan T. Caffrey & Evans Martin McLeod, Riverboat Casinos and Admiralty and Maritime Law: Place Your Bets!, 28 Tul. Mar. L.J. 315 (2004)

This article weighs the arguments for and against extending federal admiralty jurisdiction to riverboat casinos.
27)
Michael Didomenico, Injured Riverboat Casino Employees: Jones Act Juries or State Workers' Compensation Remedies?, 6 Gaming L. Rev. 97 (2002)

See the description under entry 21.
28)
Randolph Baker, Lessons from a Decade of Riverboat Gaming: A Personal Perspective, 5 Gaming L. Rev. 451 (2001)

This article summarizes the first 10 years of modern riverboat gaming. The author, a former riverboat casino executive, suggests that the pluses and minuses have been about equal.
29)
Jeremy M. Wilson, Riverboat Gambling and Crime in Indiana: An Empirical Investigation, 47 Crime & Delinq. 610 (2001)

Based on a slew of police data, this article concludes that Indiana's riverboat casinos have not appreciably increased the state's crime rate.
30)
Joseph E. Nwaokoro, Casino Employees' Unlucky Draw: Nonseaman Status Plus Nonvessel Equals No Jones Act Recovery, 2 Am. Mariner 57 (2000)

See the description under entry 21.
31)
Donna Pinion, Cheating at Blackjack: The Case of the Barthelme Brothers, 4 Gaming L. Rev. 127 (2000)

This article provides a profile of the Barthelme brothers (Frederick and Steven). In 1996, the Grand Casino riverboat in Biloxi accused them of cheating at blackjack. By the time the charges were dropped in 1999, the brothers had spent almost their entire inheritance on attorneys' fees. Ironically, just after the case started, Frederick published a novel about a husband and wife who lose all their money at a Biloxi riverboat casino called the Paradise. See Frederick Barthelme, Bob the Gambler (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1997). The brothers later co-authored a book about their gambling addictions. See Frederick & Steven Barthelme, Double Down: Reflections on Gambling and Loss (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1999).
32)
Joseph R. Marbach, Riverboat Gambling in Illinois: A Policy Assessment, 3 Gaming L. Rev. 151 (1999)

This article argues that Illinois' riverboat casinos have failed to become the economic panaceas their supporters promised the public.
33)
Steven B. Belgrade, The Riverboat Casino Employee Who Primarily Works on Land: An Accidental Seaman?, 2 Gaming L. Rev. 57 (1998)

See the description under entry 21.
34)
James W. Herron & Jeana D. McFerron, Personal Injury Claims of Employees and Patrons of Riverboat Casinos, 45 St. Louis B.J. 36 (Fall 1998)

This article discusses the level of proof needed to show that a riverboat casino's negligence caused a plaintiff's injury.
35)
Richard F. Russell, Casino Development and Environmental Protection on the Mississippi Gulf Coast: Where Will All the Good Times Go?, 2 Gaming L. Rev. 387 (1998)

This article examines the rising tension between Mississippi environmentalists and riverboat casino advocates.
36)
Allan B. Solomon & Gregory D. Guida, Riverboat Gaming: Legislation, Licensing, Site Selection, and Caselaw, 29 J. Mar. L. & Com. 215 (1998)

This article identifies various legal and operational issues that cut into the profits of riverboat casinos.
37)
Kathryn Hashimoto, Louisiana Gaming: A Case Study for Gambling or a Unique Situation?, 1 Gaming L. Rev. 199 (1997)

This article recounts Louisiana's 1991 decision to legalize riverboat casinos.
38)
Daniel E. Horgan, James P. Bruno & Barry J. Weidenbaum, Riverboat Casinos: Floating Security and the Law of the Sea (Protecting Security Interests in Gaming Vessels), 1 Gaming L. Rev. 213 (1997)

This article provides a primer for lenders who choose to do business with riverboat casinos.
39)
Klaus J. Meyer-Arendt, What is a Legal Casino Site in Mississippi?, 1 Gaming L. Rev. 55 (1997)

See the description under entry 24.
40)
Daniel T. Murphy & Jack M. Epps, Riverboat Gaming Development in Missouri, 53 J. Mo. B. 15 (Jan.–Feb. 1997)

This article lists the challenges of opening and running a riverboat casino in Missouri.
41)
Steven B. Belgrade & Robert H. Griffith, Litigating Riverboat Casino-Related Injuries in Illinois, 84 Ill. B.J. 252 (1996)

This article provides a brief guide to the laws governing personal injuries at Illinois riverboat casinos.
42)
David Shaw, Rules on the Water: Riverboat Gaming Law, 23 Barrister [American Bar Association/Young Lawyers Division] 21 (Spring 1996)

This article highlights recent cases involving the applicability of federal admiralty jurisdiction to riverboat casinos.
43)
William Blake Bennett, Waterborne Woes: Legal Difficulties of Riverboat Gaming in Emerging Jurisdictions, 3 Nev. Law. 19 (Feb. 1995)

This article gives an overview of the legal challenges faced by riverboat casino operators.
44)
Symposium, Gaming in Mississippi, 64 Miss. L.J. 291–701 (1995)

This symposium consists of six articles and four student comments about gambling in Mississippi. Five of the articles, and three of the comments, focus on shipboard gambling.
45)
Donna B. More, Winning the Gamble: An Overview of the Illinois Riverboat Gambling Act, 8 CBA [Chicago Bar Association] Rec. 18 (Nov. 1994)

This article describes the laws governing Illinois' riverboat casinos.
46)
Steven E. Psarellis, Daniel A. Tadros & James R. Holmes, Bet Your Lien and Roll the Dice: Maritime Liens and Riverboat Gambling, 6 U.S.F. Mar. L.J. 49 (1993)

This article explores the extent to which lenders can enforce maritime liens against riverboat casinos.
47)
Barbara Powell, The New Era of Riverboat Gambling, 36 Fed. B. News & J. 395 (1989)

This article outlines the reasons why the Iowa legislature voted to authorize riverboat casinos. As the author explains, Iowa acted to boost tax revenues, diversify its economy, and promote tourism.

B. Case notes
48)
Cory Aronovitz & Jon Topolewski, The Emerald Casino Fiasco, 40 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1305 (2007)

Case note on Village of Rosemont v. Jaffe, 482 F.3d 926 (7th Cir. 2007).
49)
Martin Doyle, No Dice for Jones Act Claims Aboard Moored Riverboat Casinos, 28 Tul. Mar. L.J. 591 (2004)

Case note on Hertz v. Treasure Chest Casino, L.L.C., 274 F. Supp. 2d 795 (W.D. La. 2003).
50)
Michele Patrao Forsythe, Lady Luck Smiles on Environmentalists in Mississippi, 9 S.C. Envt'l L.J. 231 (2002)

Case note on Friends of the Earth v. United States Army Corps of Engineers, 109 F. Supp. 2d 30 (D.D.C. 2000).
51)
Ricardo Rivas, Extending Maritime Law Too Far?, 24 Tul. Mar. L.J. 939 (2000)

Case note on Young v. Players Lake Charles, L.L.C., 47 F. Supp. 2d 832 (S.D. Tex. 1999).
52)
Matthew Potter, Is Alternative Dispute Resolution a Possibility in the Riverboat Gambling Quagmire?, 1998 J. Disp. Resol. 193

Case note on Akin v. Missouri Gaming Commission, 956 S.W.2d 261 (Mo. 1997) (en banc).
53)
Daniel A. Tadros, Floating Dockside Casino is Not a Vessel Under the Jones Act or General Maritime Law, 26 J. Mar. L. & Com. 630 (1995)

Case note on Pavone v. Mississippi River Boat Amusement Corp., 52 F.3d 560 (5th Cir. 1995).

C. Comments
54)
William Matthews, It Looks Like a Vessel, It Moves Like a Vessel, But It's Not a Vessel: Revisiting Vessel Status in Louisiana After Caldwell v. St. Charles Gaming Company, 83 La. L. Rev. 1093 (2023)

This comment takes issue with the Louisiana Supreme Court's refusal to treat riverboat casinos as vessels.
55)
Stephen W. Grant, Jr., Calling All Bets on Gaming Boat Vessel Status: An Analysis of How the Fifth Circuit is Consistent with Stewart v. Dutra Construction Co., 34 Tul. Mar. L.J. 331 (2009)

This comment proposes a new test for determining whether riverboat casinos are vessels for federal admiralty purposes.
56)
Ross I. Landau, A Theoretical Possibility of Navigation: An Analysis of the Vessel Status of Watercraft-Casinos in the Wake of Stewart v. Dutra Construction Co., 32 Tul. Mar. L.J. 249 (2007)

This comment considers the effect that Stewart v. Dutra Construction Co., 543 U.S. 481 (2005), will have on riverboat casinos.
57)
Courtney P. Cochran, Gambling on Seaman Status: The Plight of Riverboat Casino Employees in Light of Amended State Gaming Statutes, 29 Tul. Mar. L.J. 139 (2004)

This comment concludes that workers on riverboat casinos that do not sail should not be classified as seamen under federal admiralty law.
58)
Christopher T. O'Connor, A Return to the Wild West: The Rapid Deregulation of the Riverboat Casino Gambling Industry in Missouri, 19 St. Louis U. Pub. L. Rev. 155 (2000)

This comment calls on Missouri to do more to stem the rise in compulsive gambling caused by the state's riverboat casinos.
59)
Kristen M. Campion, Riverboats: Floating Our Way to a Brighter Fiscal Future?, 19 Seton Hall Legis. J. 564 (1995)

This comment argues that New Jersey should not legalize riverboat casinos.
60)
Lori Chapman, Riverboat Gambling in the Great Lakes Region: A Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow or Merely “Fool's Gold?,” 26 U. Tol. L. Rev. 387 (1995)

This comment explores the pros and cons of allowing riverboats to operate on the Great Lakes.
61)
Paul D. Delva, The Promises and Perils of Legalized Gambling for Local Governments: Who Decides How to Stack the Deck?, 68 Temple L. Rev. 847 (1995)

This comment finds that the usual method of regulating riverboat casinos (through a statewide gaming commission) undermines the ability of residents to control what goes on in their communities.
62)
Jeremy Robert Kriegel, Place Your Bets on the Constitutionality of Riverboat Gambling Acts: Do They Violate the Commerce Clause?, 47 Wash. U. J. Urb. & Contemp. L. 123 (1995)

This comment offers a “Model Riverboat Gambling Act” to help states lawfully balance the competing economic interests of domestic and foreign riverboat casinos.
63)
Brian P. Brancato, Blackjack or Bust: Personal Injury Suits on Riverboat Casinos, 19 Tul. Mar. L.J. 133 (1994)

This comment examines the extent to which personal injury lawsuits involving riverboat casinos are controlled by federal admiralty law.

V. POPULAR CULTURE WORKS³⁰

A. Books
1. Fiction³¹

64)
D.J. Stamm, Ocean Quicksand (Kennesaw, GA: Blue Springs Consulting, LLC, 2022)

In 1967, John Stahl, an 18-year-old from a small town in Pennsylvania, lands a job as a waiter aboard the ocean liner Continental Star. After signing on, however, he quickly becomes enmeshed in the illegal gambling taking place below deck.
65)
Paul D. Marks, The Blues Don't Care (Lutz, FL: Down & Out Books, 2020)

After Nazi propagandist Hans Dietrich is found dead aboard the Los Angeles gambling ship Apollo, James Christmas, a member of the vessel's all-Black jazz band, is arrested. To exonerate him, bandleader Booker “Boom-Boom” Taylor asks Bobby Saxon, a White pianist hoping to join the band, to find the real killer.
66)
Clint Hofer, The One That Got Away (New York: Page Publishing, Inc., 2019)

On the eve of the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1993, Terri Zimmerman returns to her childhood home in South St. Louis. Among the friends she gets reacquainted with is Glen Wunsch, whose grandmother (Anna Grosse) has become the namesake of a new floating casino called the Belle of Calhoun.
67)
Reva Spiro Luxenberg, The Cruise Ship Murders: A Sadie Weinstein Mystery (Bloomington, IN: Xlibris, 2018)

When people begin to die on a cruise ship called the Queen Lela, Florida retiree Sadie Weinstein organizes the “Cruise Ship Murder Squad” to find the killer. Much of the book's action occurs in the ship's casino.
68)
Nicholas Gordon, Cruise to Nowhere Tales: A Modern Version of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (Scotts Valley, CA: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013)

As this book's foreword explains: “Cruise to Nowhere Tales is a modern version of The Canterbury Tales. It consists of a series of tales told by a group of tourists on a cruise to nowhere while they wait for their friends and lovers to finish gambling on the deck below. Each prologue and tale is an adaption of its counterpart in The Canterbury Tales, told in the same verse form and with similar characters and plot elements.”
69)
Cara & Ray Bertoia, Cruise Quarters: A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships (Scotts Valley, CA: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2011)

In this novel written by two former cruise ship croupiers, readers are given a behind-the-scenes look at life aboard a cruise ship. The book's heroine is Sarah Sheldon, a croupier on the luxurious Regal Star who is determined to become a casino manager.
70)
Karen Harper, Below the Surface (Don Mills, Ontario: Mira Books, 2008)

Dom Verdugo, a wealthy Miami businessman known as the godfather of off-shore gambling, wants to bring a 180-foot casino boat (Fun ‘n’ Sun) to Southwest Florida. Is murder part of his plan?
71)
Dave Barry, Tricky Business (New York: Putnam Adult, 2002)

Although Tropical Storm Hector is bearing down on Miami, Bobby Kemp, the owner of the Extravaganza of the Seas, a luxury CTN, orders the vessel to keep sailing to avoid disrupting a planned drug deal.
72)
Richard Stark, Backflash (New York: Mysterious Press, 1998)

Master thief “Parker” has discovered a new place to rob: a Manhattan casino boat called the Spirit of the Hudson. But as he soon discovers, his elaborate plan faces many hurdles.
73)
Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1940)

While investigating the murder of blackmailer Lindsay Marriott, Detective Philip Marlowe learns that ex-con Moose Malloy might be hiding out on a gambling ship called the Montecito. Needing to talk to him, Marlowe sneaks aboard the vessel and asks Laird Brunette, the gangster who runs it, to get a message to Malloy.
74)
James R. Langham, Sing a Song of Homicide (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1940)

After Harvey Wallace is found dead, Los Angeles detective Samuel G. Abbott is assigned to find his killer. What Abbott's bosses do not know is that Abbott killed Wallace because he was blackmailing Abbott's wife Ethel. Part of the plot takes place on a local gambling ship called the Silver Sandal.
75)
Erle Stanley Gardner, The Case of the Dangerous Dowager (New York: William Morrow and Company, 1937)

When he is hired by Matilda Benson to go on The Horn of Plenty gambling ship and pay off $7,500 in markers issued by Benson's roulette-addicted granddaughter Sylvia Oxman, attorney Perry Mason expects the assignment to take no time. But upon arriving at the vessel, he discovers that one of its owners (Sam Grieb) is dead and his new clients are the prime suspects. The fast-moving plot, which does not include any courtroom scenes, requires Mason to solve a “locked room” puzzle.
2. Non-fiction

76)
J. Michael Niotta, It's a Pleasure: The Men Who Ushered in the Era of the Floating Casino (Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2022)

This book describes the gambling ships that operated off Los Angeles' coast in the 1920s and 1930s.
77)
Ernest Marquez, Noir Afloat: Tony Cornero and the Notorious Gambling Ships of Southern California (Santa Monica, CA: Angel City Press, 2011)

See the description under entry 76.
78)
Donald D. Spencer, History of Gambling in Florida (Ormond Beach, FL: Camelot Publishing Co., 2007)

Chapter 4 (pages 71–90) of this lavishly illustrated book focuses on CTN; Chapter 11 (pages 153–68) examines gambling on cruise ships.
79)
John Lundin, Hollywood Gambler: The Gus Boulis Story (Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2004)

This book is a biography of Konstantinos “Gus” Boulis, the Greek immigrant who built a Florida CTN empire (SunCruz Casinos). In 2000, Boulis sold the business to Dial-A-Mattress founder Adam Kidan and D.C. super lobbyist Jack Abramoff. When they failed to pay, Boulis tried to take back the business, resulting in the mob killing him.³² For two movie adaptations, see entry 85.
80)
Tyler Bridges, Bad Bet on the Bayou: The Rise and Fall of Gambling in Louisiana and the Fate of Governor Edwin Edwards (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001)

This book recounts the political career of Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards, who in 2002 went to prison for taking bribes in exchange for riverboat gambling licenses.³³
81)
Cathy H.C. Hsu (ed.), Legalized Casino Gaming in the United States: The Economic and Social Impact (New York: Routledge, 1999)

Chapter 4 (pages 63–92), written by Hsu, discusses the history, development, and laws governing riverboat gambling. Chapter 12 (pages 233–52), authored by Patricia A. Stokowski, details the social impacts of riverboat gambling.

B. Comics³⁴
82)
“Peanuts,” United Feature Syndicate, May 30, 1979 (story and art by Charles M. Schulz)

This day's strip marked the debut of “Blackjack Snoopy, the World Famous River Boat Gambler,” one of the beloved beagle's many alter egos. As another source explains: “Wearing a top hat, sunglasses and two mustaches, Snoopy acknowledges that he is not famous for any actual card-playing ability, but because he has two mustaches.”³⁵
83)
“The Gambling Ship,” Flash Comics, April 1940 (Volume 1, Number 4) (story by Gardner Fox; art by Everett E. Hibbard) (New York: National Allied Publications)

While visiting a gambling ship, Jimmy Norton and his fiancée, socialite Marcia Van Doorn, are taken hostage. When the gangsters throw Van Doorn overboard, her screams are heard by The Flash (college student Jay Garrick), who rescues her. After Van Doorn fills him in, The Flash returns to the ship and, using his hyper speed, wins round after round at the roulette table. In-between spins, he searches the vessel, finds Jimmy, and forces the gangsters to confess. Their motivation? To stop Jimmy's father, a steel magnate, from backing a proposed anti-gambling law.

C. Magazines
84)
“Gambling Ship Girl,” Crime Detective: True Police Stories, April 1940, at 46 (Dunellen, NJ: Crime Detective, Inc.)

Like all “true crime” pulp magazines, this issue is most notable for its eye-catching cover. A dark-haired temptress, clad in a skintight black dress with a plunging neckline, beckons onlookers while sitting at a roulette table holding a stack of chips. The story's sub-title is: “Exposing California's Sucker Racket.”

D. Movies³⁶
85)
Casino Jack and the United States of Money (Magnolia Productions, 2010, 118 minutes)

This documentary recounts the story of Dial-A-Mattress Adam Kidan and Washington, D.C. super lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who in 2000 purchased Gus Boulis' SunCruz Casinos business (see entry 79). Four months later, a fictional version starring Jon Lovitz as Kidan and Kevin Spacey as Abramoff was released. See Casino Jack (Entertainment One, 2010, 108 minutes).
86)
The Ladykillers (Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc., 2004, 104 minutes)

Goldthwaite Higginson Dorr, Ph.D. (Tom Hanks) leads a group of bumbling thieves as they try to tunnel from an old woman's basement into the vault of a nearby Mississippi riverboat casino. The real-life Ameristar Casino riverboat was used in the movie, although its name was changed to the Bandit Queen.
87)
Out to Sea (20th Century Fox, 1997, 109 minutes)

Filmed aboard the Westerdam, a Holland America Line cruise ship, this movie includes several scenes shot in the ship's casino. The plot revolves around two men—compulsive gambler Charlie Gordon (Walter Matthau) and his brother-in-law Herb Sullivan (Jack Lemmon)—who have been given free tickets in exchange for agreeing to serve as dance hosts.
88)
Maverick (Warner Bros., 1994, 127 minutes)

Bret Maverick (Mel Gibson) is an Old West gambler who wins the “First-Ever Annual All River's Draw Poker Championship” held aboard a Saint Louis riverboat called the Lauren Belle. After the tournament, while Maverick relaxes in a hot bath, fellow gambler Annabelle Bransford (Jodie Foster) steals half the $500,000 prize money. An amused Maverick signals to the audience that he is looking forward to chasing her.
89)
Porky's Revenge! (20th Century Fox, 1985, 92 minutes)

In this third installment of the Porky's franchise, it is 1955 and Amos “Porky” Wallace (Chuck Miller) is running an illegal riverboat casino in Angel Beach, Florida. To stop him, high school seniors Anthony “Meat” Tuperello (Tony Ganios) and Edward “Pee Wee” Morris (Dan Monahan), together with their buddies, decide to sneak onto the vessel, take photographs, and bring them to the district attorney.
90)
4 for Texas (Warner Bros., 1963, 115 minutes)

In 1870, Zack Thomas (Frank Sinatra) and Joe Jarrett (Dean Martin) are competing to turn a riverboat (Saltana) into a gambling saloon (La Maison Rouge) in Galveston, Texas. They are forced to join forces, however, after their plans are threatened by a gunslinger called “Matson” (Charles Bronson) and a corrupt banker named Harvey Burden (Victor Buono).
91)
The Honeymoon Machine (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp., 1961, 84 minutes)

The Elmira is a U.S. Navy ship that uses a sophisticated on-board computer (“MACS”) to track missiles. When Lieutenant Ferguson “Fergie” Howard (Steve McQueen) discovers that MACS can be programmed to predict the outcome of roulette spins, he hatches a scheme to use the machine to win money at a Venetian casino.
92)
The Mississippi Gambler (Universal Pictures Co., Inc., 1953, 99 minutes)³⁷

After winning a large sum of money at a card game on a Mississippi riverboat, honest gambler Mark Fallon (Tyrone Power) moves to New Orleans and opens a land-based casino. But when his banker runs off with his money, Fallon is forced to resume being a riverboat gambler.
93)
Song of the Thin Man (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp., 1947, 86 minutes)

The death of bandleader Tommy Eldon Drake (Philip Reed) aboard the Fortune, a New York gambling ship, quickly causes the press to point the finger at Phil Orval Brant (Bruce Cowling), the vessel's owner, and his wife Janet Thayar (Jayne Meadows). To clear their names, the couple ask Detective Nick Charles (William Powell) and his wife Nora (Myrna Loy) for help. This is the sixth and final movie pairing Powell and Loy as Nick and Nora Charles.
94)
The Naughty Nineties (Universal Pictures Company, Inc., 1945, 76 minutes)

Captain Sam Jackson (Henry Travers) is the owner of an 1890s Mississippi showboat called the River Queen. While at a stop in Ironville, he loses the vessel to a trio of crooks during a rigged card game. When they turn the ship into a floating casino, it is up to Jackson's two principal performers—Dexter Broadhurst (Bud Abbott) and Sebastian Dinwiddle (Lou Costello)—to set matters right. This movie includes the most elaborate version of the pair's famous “Who's on First?” baseball skit.
95)
Mr. Lucky (RKO Radio Pictures, Inc., 1943, 100 minutes)

Joe “The Greek” Adams (Cary Grant) is the owner of a New York gambling ship called the Fortuna. With the United States about to enter World War II, Adams makes plans to seek refuge in Havana. Later, however, he changes his mind and converts the Fortuna into a medical relief ship. After it sinks during a mission, he enlists in the merchant marine.
96)
Lady for a Night (Republic Pictures Corp., 1942, 87 minutes)

During Reconstruction, plantation owner Alan Alderson (Ray Middleton) runs up a $5,000 gambling tab at the Memphis Belle, a floating casino co-owned by Jenny Blake (Joan Blondell) and Jackson Morgan (John Wayne). Seeing a way to finally become part of high society, Blake demands that Alderson settle his account. When he admits he is broke, she offers him a deal: she will tear up his markers if he marries her. After considering his options (including suicide, which Blake breezily points out will not erase his debts), Alderson agrees to the deal.
97)
Navy Blues (Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., 1941, 108 minutes)

When they learn that Homer Matthews (Herbert Anderson), an expert marksman, is being transferred to their ship (the U.S.S. Cleveland), sailors Powerhouse Bolton (Jack Haley) and Cake O'Hara (Jack Oakie) keep this information to themselves so that they can make a fortune betting that the Cleveland will win an upcoming gunnery contest. What Bolton and O'Hara do not know is that Matthews's enlistment is scheduled to end before the contest is held.
98)
The Lady Eve (Paramount Pictures, Inc., 1941, 94 minutes)

During a cruise, Charles Poncefort “Charlie” Pike (Henry Fonda), the heir to a brewing fortune, is cheated by a cardsharp named “Colonel Harrington” (Charles Coburn) and his daughter Jean (Barbara Stanwyck). Despite this rocky start and a string of subsequent betrayals, Charlie and Jean end up together. The film's title refers to “Lady Eve Sidwich,” Jean's alter ego.
99)
Gambling on the High Seas (Warner Bros., 1940, 55 minutes)

After the police put pressure on his crooked land-based casino, gangster Greg Morella (Gilbert Roland) turns the Sylvania into a New England gambling ship. When Morella later kills two men, reporter Jim Carter (Wayne Morris) vows to bring him to justice and is helped by Morella's secretary Laurie Ogden (Jane Wyman).
100)
Gambling Ship (Universal Pictures Co., 1938, 60 minutes)

Steve Riley (Selmar Jackson) runs an honest gambling ship called the Casino Del Mar. When he is killed by “The Professor” (Irving Pichel), the owner of a string of crooked casinos, Riley's daughter Mollie (Helen Mack) begins to run the vessel. After being double-crossed by her new assistant Larry Mitchell (Robert Wilcox), Mollie learns that Mitchell is a government agent. The pair then join forces to bring down The Professor.
101)
Dante's Inferno (Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp., 1935, 89 minutes)

Jim Carter (Spencer Tracy), having lost his job on a luxury cruise ship, goes to work at a carnival show called “Dante's Inferno.” He later builds a lavish gambling ship called the Paradise. When it suffers a massive fire during its maiden voyage, Carter tells his wife Betty (Claire Trevor) that he has learned his lesson and is giving up gambling.
102)
Waterfront Lady (Mascot Pictures Corp., 1935, 70 minutes)

After “McFee” (Charles C. Wilson), the owner of a gambling yacht, kills a man in self-defense, McFee's partner Ronny Hillyer (Frank Albertson) grabs McFee's gun and disappears. Without the weapon, the police are unable to arrest McFee. In the meantime, Hillyer assumes the identity of a sailor named Bill and falls in love with a woman named Joan O'Brien (Ann Rutherford). When McFee's former mistress Gloria (Barbara Pepper) tells the police that Bill is Hillyer, McFee turns himself in. As McFee is being led away, Hillyer and O'Brien inform him that they plan to open a restaurant and will make him a partner when he gets out of prison.
103)
Gambling Ship (Paramount Productions, Inc., 1933, 72 minutes)

Chicago gangster “Ace” Corbin (Cary Grant), having nearly been jailed for a murder he did not commit, moves to California, where Joe Burke (Arthur Vinton), the owner of a gambling ship called the Casino Del Mar, hires him to run the vessel. Burke later is killed by Pete Manning (Jack La Rue), the mobster who tried to frame Corbin. During a storm, Manning dies and the ship sinks, but Corbin survives and ends up marrying Burke's former girlfriend Eleanor La Velle (Benita Hume).
104)
Sing Sinner Sing (Majestic Pictures, 1933, 74 minutes)

Lela Larson (Leila Hyams), a singer aboard the Monte Carlo gambling ship, has gotten fed up with Phil Carida (Paul Lukas), the vessel's owner and her unfaithful boyfriend. Lela therefore agrees to marry millionaire Ted Rendon (Donald Dillaway). When Ted, despondent over his inability to stop drinking, kills himself, Lela is accused of murdering him. At her trial, Phil bursts into the courtroom and falsely claims he killed Ted, which allows Lela to go free but sends Phil to the electric chair. The plot is loosely based on the facts of the notorious real-life romance between actress Libby Holman and tobacco heir Z. Smith Reynolds.

E. Plays³⁸
105)
Jack Plotnick & Seth Rudetsky, Disaster! (2011)

In this “jukebox musical” set to disco and pop tunes, it is 1979 in Manhattan and Tony Delvecchio's new gambling ship Barracuda is celebrating its opening night. But when an earthquake strikes New York City, setting off a tidal wave, the vessel capsizes, nearly drowning all aboard. In addition to Tony, the show's zany characters include Sister Mary Downey, a nun addicted to a Hawaii Five-O slot machine, and Chad Rubik, a waiter who reunites with his former lover, “Marianne,” a freelance reporter who has learned that Tony cut numerous corners while building the Barracuda.
106)
Harlan D. Mills, Secrets of a Mississippi Riverboat Gambler (1979)

This play, written by a computer science professor, has two acts. In Act I, set aboard a Mississippi riverboat in 1850, a young man loses $360 (the equivalent today of $13,000) to a professional gambler when the two play a game of “flipping pennies.” In Act II, the gambler explains to the audience the math behind the system he used to cheat the young man. The play's script is available at https://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=utk_harlan [https://perma.cc/8X9B-L6VS].

F. Television
1. Series

107)
Our Flag Means Death (HBO, 2022 to the present)

In this gender-bending sitcom, Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), a Barbadian aristocrat who has become a pirate, leads the motley crew of the Revenge on numerous misadventures. While the show primarily is about sex, gambling also is depicted. The series is based loosely on the life of the real Stede Bonnet (1688–1718), who was known as “The Gentleman Pirate.”
108)
Ozark (Netflix, 2017–22)

To stay alive, Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) and his wife Wendy (Laura Linney) must launder money for a Mexican drug cartel. To do so, they invest in various legitimate businesses in Missouri, including a Lake of the Ozarks riverboat casino called the Missouri Belle. While Season 2 focuses on their efforts to obtain a gaming license, Season 3 details their struggles to run the Missouri Belle and purchase a second riverboat casino in nearby St. Joseph called the Big Muddy.
109)
Orleans (CBS, 1997)

In this short-lived series (eight episodes), Larry Hagman starred as New Orleans judge Luther Charbonnet. His four children included Paulette Charbonnet (Colleen Flynn), who ran a local riverboat called the Lady Orleans. In Episode 5, titled “Hijack” (January 29, 1997), a group of thieves robbed the vessel's casino and took Paulette hostage.
110)
Riverboat (NBC, 1959–61)

This now little-remembered series took place aboard the Enterprise, a Mississippi riverboat that the show's star, Captain Grey Holden (Darren McGavin), won in a poker game. See further S.L. Kotar & J.E. Gessler, Riverboat: The Evolution of a Television Series, 1959–1961 (Albany, GA: BearManor Media, 2009).
111)
Mr. Lucky (CBS, 1959–60)

This show, loosely based on the 1943 Cary Grant movie by the same name (see entry 95), underwent a drastic mid-season retooling. After losing his gambling ship (Fortuna) to a hostile foreign government in Episode 1, “Mr. Lucky” (John Vivyan) wins another boat in a card game. Dubbing this vessel the Fortuna II, he turns it into a Los Angeles gambling ship. Because of pressure from the show's sponsor (soap manufacturer Lever Brothers), the vessel became a high-end restaurant starting in Episode 16.
2. Episodes³⁹

112)
“Chapter Nine,” Perry Mason (HBO, Mar. 6, 2023, Season 2, Episode 1)

The second season of this “origin story” series opens with the burning of a Los Angeles gambling ship called the Luxe. The fire, which is meant to send a message to his rivals, is the work of Brooks McCutcheon (Tommy Dewey), the dim-witted (and soon to be dead) son of ruthless businessman Lynell McCutcheon (Paul Raci).
113)
“The Rollin’ on the River Job,” Leverage: Redemption (Amazon Freevee, July 9, 2021, Season 1, Episode 3)

Austin Chaudry (Piter Marek), the shadowy owner of the Mississippi Pearl, a New Orleans riverboat casino, is using the ship to launder money for the Russian mafia. Needing land to expand his operation, he begins displacing low-income homeowners. To stop him, the Leverage team springs into action.
114)
“And the Riverboat Runs Through It,” 2 Broke Girl$ (CBS, Jan. 2, 2017, Season 6, Episode 11)

Needing to get to Texas, Brooklyn waitresses Max Black and Caroline Channing (Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs) stowaway on a riverboat bound for New Orleans. After losing all their money playing roulette, they are forced to work as cocktail servers.
115)
“The Dice Lady Cometh,” Mike & Molly (CBS, Mar. 24, 2014, Season 4, Episode 16)

Molly Flynn (Melissa McCarthy) wins $800 during a “girls' weekend” at the real-life Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa, a northwest Indiana riverboat.
116)
“Death Pool 100,” CSI: Miami (CBS, Oct. 2, 2006, Season 5, Episode 3)

Dakota Hudson (Heather Sossman), a young socialite, is killed at a party. While investigating her death, the detectives discover that she was on a celebrity “death pool” list. This leads them to a gambling ship run by Lee Choi (Sung Kang). Joining forces with the FBI, the detectives arrest Choi and help smash his gambling ring.
117)
“Cruise to Nowhere,” Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC, Apr. 30, 2006, Season 5, Episode 19)

A degenerate gambler named Jay Patterson (Benton Williams) is found dead after losing a lot of money on a Manhattan casino boat to a poker prodigy named Joey Frost (Lou Taylor Pucci). After first suspecting Frost, the detectives begin to focus on Frost's uncle Phil Lambier (John Pankow).
118)
“Stowaway,” Home Movies (Cartoon Network [Adult Swim], Nov. 24, 2002, Season 3, Episode 12)

Eight-year-old Brendon Small (voiced by Brendon Small) convinces his friends Jason Penopolis (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin) and Melissa Robbins (voiced by Melissa Bardin Galsky) to run away with him to Paris. To do so, they stowaway on a cargo ship that turns out to be a casino boat called the Lady Luck. During the voyage, Jason becomes addicted to the slot machines. Later, John McGuirk (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin), Brendon's soccer coach, goes on the boat but loses all his winnings when his chips fall overboard. As the episode ends, financial expert Tom Wilsonberg (Ian Roberts) advises McGuirk to get his money back by suing the ship for having unsafe railings.
119)
“Paranoid Dick,” 3rd Rock from the Sun (NBC, Feb. 16, 1999, Season 4, Episode 14)

When Sally Solomon (Kristen Johnston) breaks up with her boyfriend, policeman Don Orville (Wayne Knight), Sally's friend Vicki Dubcek (Jan Hooks) decides to cheer her up with a “girls gambling weekend” aboard a local riverboat casino (Cincinnati Queen).
120)
“Prophecy of Doom,” Batman: The Animated Series (Fox Kids, Oct. 6, 1992, Season 1, Episode 19)

This episode of the (dark) children's series about the “Caped Crusader” (voiced by Kevin Conroy) opens with a gambling ship being blown up. The vessel's destruction is predicted by “Nostromos” (voiced by Michael Des Barres), a con artist who is swindling Gotham City's elite by fulfilling his own prophecies.
121)
“Snake Eyes,” Baywatch (NBC, Feb. 9, 1990, Season 1, Episode 16)

When Los Angeles lifeguard John D. Cort (John Allen Nelson) takes fellow lifeguard Eddie Kramer (Billy Warlock) and their dates to an illegal gambling ship, Kramer becomes hooked and ends up owing $3,000. After Cort discovers the ship is using loaded dice and marked cards, he has the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department raid it.
122)
“Getting Aweigh with Murder,” Hart to Hart (ABC, Apr. 4, 1981, Season 2, Episode 15)

To capture a group of counterfeiters, married sleuths Jennifer (Stefanie Powers) and Jonathan Hart (Robert Wagner) pose as a European countess and a steward aboard a gambling ship known as the Dame Fortune.
123)
“Riverboat Sam the Gambling Man,” Posse Impossible (NBC, Nov. 19, 1977, Season 1, Episode 11)

In this episode of the short-lived cartoon series, the Sheriff of Saddlesore (voiced by William Woodson) and his deputies put a crooked riverboat gambler named “Sam” (voiced by John Stephenson) behind bars.
124)
“Assault on the Princess,” Bionic Woman (ABC, Oct. 6, 1976, Season 2, Episode 3)

To catch a dangerous criminal known as “The Ice Man” (Dick Dinman), the “Bionic Woman” (Jaime Sommers, played by Lindsey Wagner) sneaks aboard the Princess Louise gambling ship. After doing so, she poses as a blackjack dealer and manages to stop The Ice Man just before he detonates two energy cells.
3. Made-for-TV movies

125)

Casino (ABC, Aug. 1, 1980, 96 minutes)

This made-for-TV movie was intended to be the pilot for a reboot of the 1959–60 television series Mr. Lucky (see entry 111) but failed to connect with viewers. In it, professional gambler “Nick” (Mike Connors) launches a $14 million gambling ship that is plagued by saboteurs during its maiden voyage to the Caribbean.

G. Video games

126)

Age of Wushu (Snail USA, 2013)

In this MMORPG (“massive multiplayer online role-playing game”), participants go on various adventures, including visiting Delightful Island. To get to the island, however, they first must find a gambling ship called the Silver Hook. The only clue to its location is a boarding pass called “Hell's Judgement.”

VI. CONCLUSION

As noted at the outset of the bibliography, the legal issues generated by shipboard gambling have been ignored by most academicians and practitioners. One recent commentator (Patrick J. Meyer, the law library director at the University of Detroit Mercy), however, has made good use of them. In an article suggesting that bar exams include legal research questions, Professor Meyer provided the following example of such a question:

SAMPLE LEGAL RESEARCH EXERCISE BASED ON FEDERAL LAW

You are a defense attorney and have just been retained to defend a client who has been charged with violating a federal gambling statute. The facts are as follows: For the past three years, your client had been using his large, personal yacht on Friday and Saturday evenings, at which time several guests were treated to an evening of liquor, dining, and then an assortment of card games in which money was bet. At no other times did your client use the yacht. The yacht, registered in the state of Florida, always followed the same navigational pattern. First it slowly headed out of port in Jacksonville, Florida, and then always came to a stop aside a buoy just over five nautical miles from shore, where it was anchored. At that time, passengers were led to the card tables for a night of black-jack, poker, and other card games. At some point in the morning, all card games were halted, and the yacht headed back to the same port in Jacksonville as it embarked from. No excursion lasted more than 11 hours. The weekend cruises were advertised as ocean card game excursions. The predominant reason for the cruises was for the card game gambling activities.

Suit has been brought in a U.S. district court in Florida, which is in the Eleventh Circuit. Your brief is due to the court very shortly. Complete the research noted below so that a brief can be crafted. Assume that you know little or nothing about this area of law.

The first order of business is to find two secondary sources that will explain the given facts. 1.

Cite one law review article published since January 2011 that addresses our issue.

a. Provide the article title and the journal citation. Your citation need not be in proper Bluebook format.

b. What does the law review article state the law is that governs our facts? Include citations to relevant federal laws or cases that back up these assertions.

Find a secondary source, other than a law review article, that is on point with our facts.

a. What is its citation? Your citation need not be in proper Bluebook format.

b. What does this second secondary source state about the law that applies to our facts? Include citations to relevant federal laws or cases that back up these assertions.

Briefly summarize the prevailing federal law pertaining to our facts, as noted in 1(b) and 2(b), above.

List the most relevant case law applicable to our fact pattern. Explain why each case is relevant.

Using the cases that you listed for 3 or the laws listed in 4 as a guide, find two additional federal cases or laws that discuss two different issues from the following list: the distance from land that the territorial waters extend; the definition of a “covered voyage”; the definition of “high seas”; the definition of a “gambling ship.”

KeyCite (or Shepardize if using Lexis Advance) the controlling statutory law and controlling case(s). Is there any negative treatment to either one? Explain any negative or potentially negative treatment to your controlling authority and how it may negatively affect your client.

According to the laws you have found, will your client be acquitted or convicted of the charge? Explain fully.⁴⁰

In a footnote, Professor Meyer explains: “This exercise is a modification of a three-part take home assignment I administered, over the course of several weeks, in my Advanced Legal Research course in 2003.”⁴¹

Shipboard Gambling: an Annotated Bibliography

Abstract

I. INTRODUCTION

II. GENERAL WORKS

A. Casebooks

B. Articles 25

C. Case notes

D. Continuing legal education materials

III. CRUISES TO NOWHERE

A. Articles

B. Case notes

IV. RIVERBOAT CASINOS

A. Articles

B. Case notes

C. Comments

V. POPULAR CULTURE WORKS 30

A. Books

B. Comics 34

C. Magazines

D. Movies 36

E. Plays 38

F. Television

G. Video games

VI. CONCLUSION

Footnotes

B. Articles²⁵

V. POPULAR CULTURE WORKS³⁰

B. Comics³⁴

D. Movies³⁶

E. Plays³⁸