Three federal employment lawsuits have been filed on behalf of 80 former employees of gambling ship operators that curtailed sailing amid heightened competition from tribal casinos. Plaintiffs’ attorney Peter Valori, of Miami’s Damian & Valori LLP, obtained an overall settlement of more than USD 23,000 in representing 11 former employees of Party Line Cruise Co., according to a defendant’s court filing.

South Florida’s casino boat business is sinking fast. SeaEscape, the only day cruise operator at Port Everglades, will have its last sail today. Palm Beach Casino Line is bankrupt and trying to sell its old, wood-decked Princess. When blackjack arrived at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in late June, cruise-to-nowhere boats lost their claim as the only venue to offer local residents one of the most popular casino card games.

The S.C. Supreme Court ruled 4-1 Monday that casino boat companies do not have to report monthly wagers at gambling machines to the state, a move that some say could make it hard for municipalities to collect casino boat taxes. Horry County instituted a [[USD]] 7-per-passenger tax on two casino boat companies in Little River earlier this year, but John Weaver, the county attorney, said Monday’s ruling should not affect the county’s ability to collect the tax.

A new, bigger casino boat is scheduled to coast into Little River this morning. The boat, which will do business under the name Big M Casino, replaces the Southern Elegance casino boat. Another company, SunCruz Casino, will continue to operate out of the northern Horry County community. Under county zoning law, only two boats can operate out of Little River. Big M Casino company of Fort Myers Beach, Fla., and Southern Cruise Lines of Little River will operate the boat.

In 2008, Regent’s Seven Seas Voyager and Silversea’s Silver Shadow will navigate through the Channel of Panama and the Mexican Riviere, following a route towards tropical places in Hawai. In 110 days, Silver Shadow will visit 26 countries and 52 ports, including seven places never explored by Silversea before. Its largest cruise, Seven Seas Voyager, will visit 51 ports in 26 countries in 115 nights.

Catfish Bend Casino received permission from state regulators today to shut down its struggling Fort Madison gambling boat, putting about 180 people out of work in southeast Iowa. The action by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission doesn’t affect Catfish Bend’s new USD 50 million casino and hotel complex in Burlington, which will remain open seven days a week. “The boat just can’t compete at this point and it wasn’t generating enough revenue to survive,” said Gary Hoyer, chief executive of Great River Entertainment Inc., the parent of Catfish Bend.

Freeport – Laying anchor in Freeport once again, the owners of the Texas Star Casino gambling boat are looking for a fresh start after being scuttled by controversy. The Texas Star Casino gambling boat returned Monday from Burton Shipyard in Bridge City where it received [[USD]] 200,000 in repairs and refurbishment and an overhaul inspection by the U.S. Coast Guard, Texas Star Casino CEO Grant Poynor said.

The palm-fringed beaches of Goa attract millions of tourists lured by the white sands, dreamy blue water and trance parties held alongside the pounding surf. But the idyllic coastline of Goa is poised to get a controversial new addition, a flotilla of casinos that will operate offshore to get around federal laws restricting such enterprises on land. Reports suggest that up to 11 ships could be operating along the coast by the end of the year.

Port Canaveral – The U.S. Coast Guard this morning allowed two gambling ships to resume regularly scheduled cruises. The Sterling Casino’s Ambassador II left Port Canaveral at 11 a.m. for a five-hour gambling excursion into international waters. The company said the ship would also carry on with its 7 p.m. to midnight gambling cruise. On Tuesday, the Coast Guard ordered the Ambassador II to leave Port Canaveral because it did not have required documentation.

Horseshoe Casino in Hammond is one of two casinos under scrutiny from state legislators. Their question: Is it a building or a boat? In this year’s session of the General Assembly, lawmakers considered a measure that would have permitted casinos to pay a USD 25 million fee to go from a riverboat to a barge — allowing them to more cheaply build bigger facilities on platforms instead of boats. It was never passed.