Victory Casino Cruises sails 7 days a week, twice daily. Read on or call 855-GO-VICTORY (855-468-4286)to view exact departure times as well as pricing. Our annual Spring Train & Race Camp is Sold Out! Contact us to be added to a waiting list.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A casino company said Monday it never had a problem with the shuttle boat that burst into flames off Florida’s Gulf Coast, leading to the death of a female passenger.
Tropical Breeze Casino spokeswoman Beth Fifer said the company does not know what caused Sunday’s huge blaze, which gutted the 12-year-old shuttle boat and forced about 50 passengers to jump into chilly waters off Port Richey.
“We are deeply saddened for the loss of our passenger, the 14 injured and anyone else who was affected by this tragedy,” Fifer said.
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point spokesman Kurt Conover said Monday that the passenger arrived at the hospital’s emergency room at 10 p.m. Sunday and died shortly afterward. He said she had apparently gone home after the fire but became ill.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that the Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner’s Office identified the woman as Carrie Dempsey, 42, of Lutz, Florida. Her cause of death has not been released.
Conover said eight other passengers were treated at the hospital and released.
Authorities originally said no injuries were life-threatening.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Michael De Nyse said investigators will determine the cause of the fire and examine the history of the boat and Tropical Breeze Casino.
Helicopter video taken by WTSP-TV early Monday shows the boat was burned down to its hull, with only an American flag on its bow uncharred.
The shuttle boat regularly carried people back and forth from the Tropical Breeze’s offshore casino, about a 45-minute ride into international waters. There, passengers would play games such as black jack, which is illegal at non-Indian casinos in Florida, and roulette, which is illegal statewide.
The shuttle boat caught fire about 4 p.m. Sunday, quickly engulfing the boat close to shore near residential neighborhoods. Officials said the boat was headed out to the casino ship at the time.
Port Richey Police Chief Gerard DeCanio said the shuttle boat experienced engine problems after leaving the dock at Port Richey, a suburban community about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northwest of Tampa. But as the vessel turned back, flames kicked up and people began jumping overboard into shallow water, according to witness accounts.
Larry Santangelo, 57, said he had just driven into his neighborhood when he saw smoke and fire and thought a house — possibly his own — was ablaze. But then he realized it was the boat just about 100 yards (90 meters) offshore.
He told the Tampa Bay Times that he then saw people wandering about confused, wet and cold, after they reached land. One woman collapsed upon reaching shore and vomited, he said.
Santangelo said he took about 30 of the passengers into his garage to warm up and recover.
“It was so windy and they were soaking wet,” said Santangelo. He worried that some might suffer from hypothermia.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire, which sent a huge plume of dark black smoke wafting over sunny skies on an unusually chilly winter day in the Tampa Bay region.
“It looked pretty dramatic because the shuttle boat burned really fast,” DeCanio told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Another witness told the Tampa Bay Times the shuttle boat passes regularly by his family’s home, carrying patrons to and from a casino ship offshore. But he knew something was wrong when he saw smoke and heard shouts and screams.
“They didn’t have much time to decide whether or not to jump,” said Bakr Jandali, 19, who was with his home nearby. “The fire was moving fast. It was a hard jump.”
Jandali said passengers had to jump about 12 feet (3 meters) from the boat and wade through waist-deep water to shore. There, residents gave them aid.
“All of us, my family and the neighbors, brought them towels and water,” Jandali said. “They were so cold.”
Orlando Casino
News footage at the site showed bedraggled survivors cloaked in blankets trying to warm themselves afterward.
Tampa Bay Casino Boat Prices
The boat was identified in newspaper reports as the Island Lady, a 72-foot wooden-hulled vessel which Fifer said had been inspected by the Coast Guard.
“If we had any type of idea that there was a problem, we wouldn’t have left the dock,” the cruise spokeswoman told the Tampa Bay Times. “There was no inkling that there were any problems with that vessel whatsoever.”
One of the favorite hobbies of mankind is gambling which is practiced for more than centuries. The first settlers brought the love of gambling and started to construct ravishing casino in fantastic locations with many games. Are you a casino enthusiast? Then you don’t have to go all the way to Vegas but sail on the casino cruise where you can play your favorite casino games. If you have a fabulous desire to drift on the huge water bodies and at the same time experience perfect serenity, embracing nature from everywhere, then casino boats cruise is the ideal choice. They are valuable source of entertainment and a means to gambling on the serene waters.
This site is a very useful website where you can know more about the Tampa Bay casinos as well as casino boats cruise. Tampa Bay is well-known for the beautiful surrounding waters and it the best place for gambling cruise or dinner cruise. You can expect a Las Vegas style casino in the Tampa Bay casinos where there are a number of games which offers the best gambling experience. You can find freestanding casinos and offshore casino cruises that regularly depart the docks on the Tampa Bay beaches.
The Tampa Bay cruises leave the dock round the clock and they are the most luxurious cruise lines. The Tampa Bay casinos offer a wonderful ambience, worldly entertainment in the crystal clear waters. The Tampa cruises frequently stop at Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Eastern Mexico. Most of the cruises lasts for 7-10 days, and a handful of let you extend your stay up to 17 nights. A couple of Tampa cruises pass through Panama Canal, via San Diego. The casino boats set a minimum gambling age as either 23 or 18 and due to security reasons you need to carry a Photo ID.
The Tampa Bay casinos, offers casino games like the Blackjack, Roulette, Slots, Video Poker and Craps etc. The Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa Bay is very popular and has more than 3000 slot machines. This Casino has more than sixty eight blackjack tables which are accessible from any area of the casino. The Seminole Rock casino is also well-known for the “carnival games” like Asia Poker, Pai Gow Poker, Let It Ride, Mini-Baccarat, etc.
The dealers in this cruise are very professional and they would be glad to explain the rules if you are unfamiliar with and you can find attendants as well who will offer assistance. You can find Poker rooms but it does not feature the “Craps” or Roulette or full Baccarat. You can become a member of the Seminole Club by just being at a table and asking. The casino boats cruise in Tampa bay, USA, is becoming very popular that millions of sailors are enjoying the travel.
Tampa Bay Casino Boat Races
If you want to relieve your stress and strain, then the best place on the planet is a casino boats cruise. You can come back rejuvenated after the travel and you can also earn some cash and that seems to be a perfect winning combination. There are many ports in Florida and no matter wherever you are; there would certainly be a casino boats cruise nearby.
Tampa Bay Casino Cruise
For those of you that can't get onto a boat casino then you should try play at one of the top online casinos for US players like Cherry Red Casino, Crazy Slots Casino and Go Casino.