From 1977 to 2006, the Texas Star frequently embarked from Freeport, Texas, into the Gulf on casino cruises. The 180-foot ship offered passengers an authentic slice of American gaming history.
The Texas Star’s career came to a close in July with a farewell voyage far from the Lone Star State. The ship’s final port was in Delaware, and its ultimate destination was the Redbird Saltwater, 16-1/2 miles offshore.
The Texas Star is a contradictory tale of Texas gambling, defined as much by intrepid gamblers as morally-conservative, anti-gaming critics. And like many other gamblers of Texas’ storied gaming past, the Texas Star left home to pursue the ultimate goal.
A sea habitat associated with tanks, tugboats and The Celebrity
The Redbird Reef is a mammoth artificial underwater structure that provides marine habitat for fishing and scuba diving. Over 700 New York City “redbird” subway cars, 86 tanks, eight tugboats and barges, 3,000 tons of ballasted truck tires, and now the Texas Star have been added to the reef, resulting in a 400-fold increase in fish populations over the past seven years.
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control oversaw the process of sinking the Texas Star 86 feet down to the ocean floor. It has added a new attraction to the 1.6-mile reef for fish, anglers, and divers.
As it rests off the Delaware coast on the murky seabed, one can imagine the spectacular sight: black bass and Atlantic cod swimming between the legs of card tables, goggle-eyed flounder lounging on the carpeted game room, and skittish blue crabs scuttling around the roulette wheel. Just like the festive paddlewheels of old, it is truly a sight to behold.
The Tx Star: A brief chapter inside a long background
The sinking of the Texas Star marked the end of a brief chapter in one of America’s most diverse gambling traditions: riverboat gambling and the floating casino. For centuries, these waterborne casinos have served as clever workarounds for the country’s restrictive gambling laws.
The Texas Star functioned as a floating casino, docking in Freeport. Once the ship was in international waters, patrons could play slot machines or try their luck at various table games.
It operated under several names – the Continental Star, the Stardancer V, and the Millionaire’s Casino – throughout its tenure. After its services as a floating casino came to an end in 2005, it was repurposed for scallop dredging.
Online poker was a remedy for monotony on the water
Merchants from around the nation encountered familiar faces during their travels to cities like New Orleans. They discovered that the monotony of an 11-day journey could be remedied by playing cards. French traders they interacted with taught them poque, a card game popular in France. It involved gambling, bluffing, and playing against other players’ tells.
Poker developed informally through these games and became the primary method of alleviating boredom during long trips.
The particular demise associated with riverboat business (and gambling)
Riverboat travel held as the predominant form of commerce for roughly four decades during the mid-19th century. Two significant events changed that.
The first was the rise of the steam engine. As railroad owners constructed extensive rail networks across the country, the speed and direction of commerce shifted once again. More goods could now be transported faster and to more locations, eliminating the need for lengthy trips up and down the Mississippi River. With the decline in trade, the decline in riverboat gambling quickly followed.
The second event that further halted riverboat gambling was the Civil War. Merchant travelers gave way to military personnel transporting supplies south to the battlefields. Additionally, the prospect of gambling in a war zone deterred most gamblers.
Riverboat gambling like a special appeal
The riverboat gambling industry re-emerged following the Civil War as a form of tourism. This transformation was aided by the passing of anti-gambling laws across the nation.
Almost all states had laws outlawing various forms of gambling. Rivers, lakes, and oceans represented open spaces, however. “Open water” laws allowed gamblers to step aboard riverboats and wait for the captain to declare, “Open water! Start your engines!,” before they began playing cards.
The ships of the era shaped the images most Americans have when they think of riverboat gambling. They were massive paddlewheelers with towering smokestacks, upper and lower decks enclosed by picket railings, and adorned with flags.
These ships served as floating casinos, but they were not technically casino ships. Instead, they were cruise ships with the added allure of casino games.
The particular riverboat online casino nostalgia business
The City of Traverse energized the riverboat casino industry in the early 20th century and led to the rise of gambling-only ships. These ships operated in the Mississippi Valley, the Great Lakes region, and the open sea. They offered short evening cruises into open waters where fashionable card and dice games were played by the wealthy.
Until the mid-20th century, they operated relatively unimpeded by authorities. In 1951, a wave of post-war conservative morality swept across the US. Senator Lyndon Johnson passed the Transportation of Gambling Devices Act (TGDA). This legislation made it illegal to cross state lines with gambling devices if the neighboring state did not permit gambling.
The act aimed to choke off riverboat gambling by limiting the routes riverboat casinos could take. For nearly four decades, the TGDA cut into the riverboat gambling industry.
In 2000, the TGDA was replaced with the Flag Cruise Ship Competition Act. The amendment prohibited gambling on all ocean-bound ships that had not reached international waters. The Texas Star, along with other seafaring vessels, were bound by this law.
Legal riverboat casinos a comparatively new opportunity
It may be surprising that the very first legal riverboat casinos didn’t start until 1991 in Iowa. They were the Dubuque Casino Belle, the Diamond Lady in Bettendorf, and The President in Dubuque. It was part of an effort to revitalize this quintessential American industry that had slowly been blocked off.
Today, riverboat gambling is legal in six states:
- Iowa
- Illinois
- Mississippi
- Indiana
- Louisiana
- Missouri
Although some riverboat casinos resemble luxurious Las Vegas-style resorts, the industry still holds on to its 19th-century origins. That much is apparent when reading some of these unique riverboat casino laws:
- In Louisiana, riverboat casinos must resemble 19th-century paddlewheelers.
- Indiana riverboats must be 150 feet long and have an audience of 500 people.
- After Hurricane Katrina, riverboats were no longer required to operate in open water; they had to remain docked or moored to a barge.
- An Illinois casino developer attempted to build a riverboat casino by digging a small lake and then putting a casino over it. This didn’t fly.
Tyler is the Managing Editor of PlayTexas.com, covering sports, sports law, and gambling for the Lone Star State. He also contributes on similar topics for PlayCA, PlayFlorida, PlayOhio, and PlayMA. Tyler’s current focus is Texas’s path to gaming legalization.
