Cruise Ship Sports Betting Sets Sail With Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises, a division of Carnival Corp., has become the first cruise line to provide its passengers with legal sports betting and travel agents couldn’t be more excited about this latest development. Majestic Princess was the cruise ship that accepted the first bet this week, and all eligible passengers can enjoy the sports betting experience with the new Ocean Sportsbook as one of the products by Princess MedallionClass.

Ocean Sportsbook Will Feature Tons of Categories

Passengers who are fans of sports betting will be pleased to know that they will be able to wager on numerous major sports events such as basketball, hockey, college football and baseball. However, there is one exception to the rule – NBA’s Miami Heat will be off-limits due to the fact that Micky Arison, the owner of the team, is Carnival Corp.’s chairman.

John Maddox from Travel by John’s stated that sports betting is widespread now, and it makes sense to provide people with the chance to win a prize, even when they are at sea.

Passengers will be able to place bets at Majestic Princess when the cruise is either docked in countries that allow sports betting or when it is in international waters where no jurisdiction exists. In the past two years, data shows that over $20 billion have been wagered with US sportsbooks, and projections state that the number could climb to $155 billion as soon as 2024.

Other Companies Are Likely to Follow Suit

Sports betting services are a massive addition to the overall cruise experience, which is why it’s highly likely for other companies to follow suit. Travel advisors are also speaking out on the inevitable expansion of sportsbooks at sea.

Jeremy Hill from Cruise Vacations International stated that his personal opinion is that any additional entertainment on cruise ships is a major plus for the industry. He added that he doesn’t see any negative effects of offering sports betting to cruise passengers, and, as it seems, wagers are placed either on apps or in casinos. Watching sports and participating in gambling activities are staples for many passengers, and that is why Hill paid homage to those that found a way to combine these two services.

Cruise Planners’ Tom Hollembaek also supported the idea, as he said that he loves the addition of sports betting on cruise ships. Hollembaek stated that there’s no denying the fact that people love sports betting and thanks to it, people are brought to casinos together in a very unique fashion. That is why he thinks that sports betting should be featured on all cruise ships.

Not surprisingly, there are some that oppose the idea. TheCruiseGenius.com’s Scott Lara expressed his concerns on the potential negative impact that sports betting can have on the family experience. Lara said that adding sports betting on cruise ships may result in bigger profits, but he’s concerned that the family enjoyment and overall family experience might be unavailable since so many gamblers will be on board.