Gambling Islands ?? St Johns Antigua ??

[KittyLiXX]

Hi there fellow cruisers-

 

We just booked the Jewel for 1/14/07 - Very excited to cruise NCL for the first time -- We've been on several RCL and Princess cruises - Thought we'd try a different itin this time. We usually try to pick the itin based on the most gambling islands or at sea days when the casino is open. A question for the gamblers out there -- Hubby and I love to play BlackJack - either on the islands or at sea... We spend a lot of ( sometimes too much) time in the casinos. We're the couple who comes home without seeing a lot of the shows :) ( we did the first few cruises ). This Jewel itin includes San Juan, St. Johns Antigua and St, Thomas - - I know ( too well) there is gambling on San Juan - I also think that there is gambling in St. Johns-Antigua - Can you recommend a good casino to go to once we're off the ship?? Is it walking distance - or do we need to cab??

Also, how are the BlackJack tournaments laid out on NCL ??

 

Thanks - See ya at the tables !!

Elaine & Mark from Boston, MA

[shoreguy]

There is a casino right at the pier. Can't say it was good. I just passed through it. The casino on the Jewel is much nicer.

 

Blackjack tourn. - $10 per entry (if you sign up for a free players card or it ws $15) but we got either a free drink or a $5 match play.

 

They ran 3 or 4 qualiifying events 6-8 seatings, 6 hands of blackjack- top 6 winners in $ play for a t-shirt and $500 the last day. Winner take all. I won on the Sun and got to the finals with only 18K. On my last cruise low person qualifying for the finals had 37K. On the Jewel I busted out every time I entered.

[zydecocruiser]

If this one was any closer, it would be on the ship with you. I didn't try my luck, but they seem to have a website...

 

 

 

[KittyLiXX]

:) Yah - I checked it out , they DO have a website ;) ...

 

Thanks for the photo and sneak peek !!

 

Elaine from Boston

[Sheffie]

Elaine, I cannot for the life of me imagine going on a cruise to all of these great islands and then spending my day in a casino. So sorry you don't enjoy the islands. Oh, well, different strokes for different folks.

[sunlover5]

Be careful in Antigua. Heard of many on our ship who got scammed!! There were many unhappy people:( , and casinos were kind of dumpy looking when we walked by.

[zydecocruiser]

I dunno. I never met a casino I didn't like. :D

 

The shipboard ones will definitely try to fleece ya. ;)

[lesdeb]

Stay away from the Keno Palace in Antigua. There have been reports of cruise passengers who have lost thousands of dollars on a scam they operate there where you pick numbered balls out of a hopper. It is a variation of the Razzle Dazzle game, and it is impossible to win. If they cheat with a streetside hustle like that, I wouldn't trust any of their games.

[BarknBarnums]

Hello All,

 

My wife and I just arrived back from our 7 day cruise through the Caribbean and for the most part, the trip was fantastic. There is one thing though I feel compelled to mention. While visiting Antigua, we got hooked in a casino scam. As embarrassing as it is to mention this on a public forum, I think it would be beneficial for anyone making a trip to Antigua to read this.

 

My wife and I have been in a casino together exactly one time before this trip, and we are hardly what you would call avid gamblers and are very cautious most of the time when it comes to scams of all sorts. As it was, we were approached on the street one day in broad daylight with an offer for free gaming at the Keno Palace casino in St. Johns. Long story short, the game was a total scam. Impossible to win. Unfortunately, by the time we realized this it was too late. We lost a lot of money. In the end it looks like there will be no way to recoup our losses. After searching a bit on the internet, it appears that this thing has been going on at the Keno Palace and several other gaming establishments on Antigua for a long time now. We really had no idea this sort of thing was happening, and never really had any clue before we visited to look out for con artists like that. I'm sort of glad we are not the only suckers out there :(, but at the same time I feel badly for anyone who got hooked. It was truly a miserable experience.

 

What we are attempting to do now is warn as many people as possible about this scam. I can assure you that we may take cruises again in the future, but we will NEVER set foot on Antigua again. As beautiful an island as it is, it's been completely ruined for us. We also are attempting through whatever means possible to notify as many authorities as possible of what is occurring there. It's no joke. I'm told it's a variation of the "Razzle Dazzle" game-scam that many folks have fallen into over the years. Like I said too, Keno Palace is not the only place running this scam. Plenty of others have run this scam in a very similar fashion.

 

The game itself poses as legitimate gaming opportunity to win money, when in fact it is impossible to win. The customer picks numbered balls out of a "hopper" using a long pole with a scoop on the end, and the game operator reads the number which correlates to a game board that shows the number of points associated with each number drawn (for example, the numbered ball may be worth anywhere between 1 and 100 points, bonuses which simultaneously double the bet and prize, and other prizes). The game is won when the total number of points achieved exceeds 100. The fraudulent activity occurs when the operator draws the numbered balls from the "hopper" himself, reads a different number from the ball drawn without actually showing this customer, covers up part of the number when displaying the ball (the digits are placed far enough apart to allow this to be done very easily- for example, the number 120 can be read as 12 or 20 if either first or last digit are covered), and/or similar methods. Furthermore, when the customer attempts to walk away, the operator offers to demonstrate it is possible to win, but this is also using the same sleight of hand before. In short, the game poses as one of opportunity to win money controlled only by random chance, when in reality the operator is in complete control and determines the outcome of the draw each and every time, thus it is impossible to win.

The fraudulent activity occurred our specific case when the first numbered ball was drawn by the operator himself, which correlated to 50 points. The numbered balls thenceforth were drawn by me and each time represented a bet. The point amounts corresponding to each numbered ball drawn afterward were in the following order: 30, 10, 5, 3 and 1, adding up to a total off 99 points. In between drawing these balls certain two bonus balls were drawn, which doubled the bet and corresponding prize total, thus the total value of the bets escalated quickly before we knew what was happening. The numbered ball 11 was drawn 3 times from a pool of 120 balls or more. I know now that the odds of such an occurrence happening randomly are well below one percent.

This was a classic, text-book hustle with some smooth talking swindler. This is how it works at Keno Palace. I'm sure other establishments have a similar sort of game. Almost all of them draw you in with some girl on the street with a "free" coupon for your first bet. Then the folks inside get you off to a hot start making it seem like you're on your way to winning egging you on all the while. Seems plausable until you realize you've been totally jobbed.

 

I encourance anyone with similar experiences to come forward and share this for the benefit of others who may be travelling in the near future. My wife and I have notified our bank, the cruise line (so they can warn passengers in the future), the local tourism board and the better business bureau (apparently a US company in Las Vegas is associated with this Casino running the scam and other as well). Not much hope we'll see a nickel of our money again, but we are trying to get the word out at the very least.

 

Please feel free to share your experiences here for the betterment of others. I also strongly encourage you to report this activity to as many agencies as possible in hopes that some action is taken against these crooks. Like I said, I know our money is as good as gone. But I hope maybe we can help put a stop to this by informing others.

[gkbiiii]

I love to gamble, yet this happend to me just as discribed. This came and the con men Brits who run the games are total carney cheats!!!

 

Why are these people not in prison, even the American Maffia thought that these games were unfair and removed them in Havana.