(from http://gamblingmagazine.com/articles/27/27-1330.htm)

Whitcomb and Billiris previously had a business relationship when the Magic Mermaid and Excalibur casino boats leased the space at the dock along Dodecanese Boulevard. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement shut down the Mermaid in 1998 for allowing passengers to gamble before the boat reached international waters. The company behind the Excalibur, Camelot Casino Cruises, filed for protection from its creditors under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code after an investor pulled out. Whitcomb was involved with both companies.