Victory Chief Executive Officer Lester Bullock said the decline of gambling boats is due to the fact that “The Seminole Tribe got gaming. Jacks or Better Casino cruised out of Mayport from 2010 to December 2012.
Most recently SunCruz Casinos operated out of Mayport between 2001-2009 and closed suddenly. Victory operates one of five gambling boats in Florida, where there were 35 in the 1990s. It’s equipped with 300 slots, plus roulette, craps, blackjack, baccarat, poker, bingo and sports betting.
The vessel will offer five- to six-hour cruises two times a day, seven days a week, however gambling will not be allowed until the boat is three miles out to sea, about 40 minutes coming and going. The 600-passenger, 229-foot Victory Casino Cruises gambling ship recently launched its first public cruise out of Mayport, Florida, near Jacksonville.
