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After several delays, the third gambling ship to sail from Port Canaveral may start daily cruises next month.
Liquid Vegas is expected to arrive at Brevard County's seaport by July 1 and start offshore gambling excursions by July 15, according to Canaveral Port Authority officials.
Larry Mullin, the company's president and CEO, would not give a specific date when asked Monday about the ship's launch.
Offshore gambling dates back more than a decade at the port, but there never have been three gambling vessels operating there at the same time.
Sterling Casino Lines and SunCruz Casinos have shared the gambling ship business at the port, attracting about 50,000 passengers a month -- a large number, but not as many as the business once did, port statistics show.
Sterling's ship, the Ambassador II, was out of service earlier this year for mechanical repairs. Also, Sterling and SunCruz have faced increased competition from more land-based gambling venues, such as arcades and poker rooms, and a sluggish economy that has hampered discretionary spending.
Las Vegas Casino Lines, however, is targeting a somewhat different clientele than the other gambling vessels.
Mullin, the former director of sales and marketing for Sterling, said his venture will concentrate on drawing passengers from the Orlando convention market, as well as the usual market of Florida retirees, working people and tourists.
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