Federal Hearing on Cruise-to-Nowhere Measure
The House USCG and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee held a hearing on H.R. 316 (the Cruise-to-Nowhere Act of 1999, which would prohibit gaming in all states that haven't passed a bill specifically allowing it). The subcommittee heard from eight witnesses divided among four panels, with the first two panels consisting of a single witness: Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), chief sponsor of H.R. 316, and Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth, who joined Wolf in support of the bill. Panel three, opponents of the bill, included Allen Walker, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America; C. Dean Hofmeister, chairman/CEO of SeaEscape Cruises; Lester Bullock, president of the Day Cruise Association; and Robert Williams, chairman of the Port of Palm Beach.
Lawsuit Aimed at Stopping Casino Boat
Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth filed a complaint in Volusia Circuit Court, seeking to force SunCruz Casinos to get rid of the slot machines and other casino games on one of its cruise-to-nowhere boats, which docks in Ponce Inlet. The refusal by the U.S. Supreme Court to tamper with a lower court ruling that federal law does not prevent states from deciding their existing laws prohibiting land-based casino gaming also apply to cruise-to-nowhere operations may have been the motivation for the complaint. States are not required to pass new anti-gambling laws aimed specifically at offshore gaming, according to last year's ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
