If you’re a regular on Europe river cruises – whether that be the natural beauty of the Rhine Valley, the historical attractions of the Danube or the sun-kissed Spanish appeal of the Douro – one thing you’ll have noticed is the distinct lack of a casino on-board your vessel.
Now, if you frequent Europe river cruises exclusively and have yet to explore the continent by ocean, this may be something which hasn’t even occurred to you. After all, why would there be any reason to have one? With so much to see, when would you have the time to dance with lady luck? If however, you’re the type of person who likes to embark on Europe ocean cruises as well as Europe river cruises, you’ll no-doubt be aware that the cruise ship casino is traditional and popular fixture. Whether it’s a ringing, buzzing, colourfully illuminated mini Vegas full of one armed bandits or a more refined, James Bond-style Monte Carlo hang-out, the on-board casino is certainly here to stay.
A different kind of cruising
So, back to Europe river cruises. Why no casino? Well, though the public areas and accommodations on river vessels certainly offer cruisers ample room and all
the comforts of home and more, they’re never going to be behemoths of the waves, and with good reason. River cruise ships rarely cater for more than 200 guests and need to be narrow and manoeuvrable – even the widest rivers have tight spots, are usually busy and offer captains some challenging currents too. It’s all about an intimate experience, where the passing scenery and of course, the towns and cities you visit are the stars of the show. Rare is the river cruise which offers you a full ‘day on the river’, though if you’re an ocean cruiser too, you’ll probably have experienced a day at sea or two. Typically, entertainment involves a few leisurely drinks at the bar, a guest lecture, or perhaps a musician or two, who will step aboard to entertain you during an overnight port stop-over. However, it’s not like gambling on the river is an unknown quantity, because…
Before Europe river cruises there was …
The Mississippi River. Of course, that’s not strictly true, as our European rivers have been around just as long. Rather, the Mississippi River was entertaining river cruisers long before the notion of Europe river cruises even existed. Before the advent of rail travel in the United States, river travel was king and indeed, the Mississippi was very much the south’s lifeblood – a vital artery of trade and travel. Of course, when you consider that the Mississippi River is 2,320 miles long, for the 19th century trader on a particularly long journey, that’s a lot of downtime, even with multiple trading stops. Enter river cruise gambling.
A mobile gambling mecca
With so much time to pass, gambling quickly became the most popular way to pass the time and with a lot of wealthy traders plying their wares, the stakes could often get pretty high. Of course, word, like the current, travels fast and it wasn’t long before many of the country’s professional casino gamblers began to set their sights on the river. After all, the temptation to strip a rich trader – perhaps a little green around the gambling gills – of some of his hard earned, must’ve been a big one. Card games soon became big business, though it didn’t take long for the traders to realise what was going on and spot the professionals among their fellow merchants. No one likes a cheat and indeed, things soon came to a head in 1835, when five casino gamblers were hung for doing just that. Excessive yes, but the message was clear and the professional gamblers took notice and looked elsewhere, leaving the American Civil War to finish off the tradition of river boat gambling.
Rolling on the river
That was until the river cruise casino came along. Despite its reputation for big-hitting gamblers and culture of day-long Vegas slot machine vigils, America’s never really had a history of being tolerant towards gambling. Aside from the aforementioned gambling capital, its fellow Nevada state city Reno and Atlantic City, there are, in fact few places which embrace the gambler. Few places, that is, on land. Iowa was the first American state to exploit a legal loophole which allowed for riverboat casinos. Providing that they actually sailed along the river at least a few times, thus entering what was described as international waters, these boats could operate legally; a fact which was soon exploited and one which saw the rebirth of riverboat gambling, with other states soon following suit.
These days, there are a number of riverboat casinos to be found on the Mississippi River, including the always popular Casino Queen, which can be found docked close to St Louis. Indeed, these days, the laws have been relaxed and you’re more likely to find a permanently moored Mississippi gambling casino than a mobile one. Meaning that, it’s enough that the casino isn’t on land to keep it legal.
So, if you really want to recreate that riverboat gambling ambience, for now, it looks like you’ll have to head over to the States. However, the beautiful scenery, culture and of course, good food on offer on Europe River cruises will surely provide even the most hardened gambler with more than enough of a distraction from the bright lights of casino!
By Simon Brotherton
Google
photo credit: ZackW via photopin cc
