SAMI’S SMACKDOWN

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Everything You Need To Know About The Casino & COVID-19 Protocols

Q: Dear Gaming Guide: My husband and I love cruising and we’re excited to start planning our trips again. The cruise company we always sail with and have obtained a high status with because all of the trips we have taken is Norwegian. Both my husband and I chose not to get vaccinated because both of us have severe allergies to certain ingredients some of which are contained in the vaccines. So, unfortunately, since we aren’t vaccinated, we weren’t able to cruise. The CDC guidelines, until recently, prohibited those of us without vaccines to board the cruise ships. Now that they’ve changed their policy, we’re able to start cruising again and we’re really excited! Many people we’ve talked to don’t seem to know that these rules have changed but they have.

We love to gamble on the cruises but we never really seem to have any luck at all. I was just wondering if you know how tight they set the games on the boats? Are these casinos regulated and are there minimum paybacks on the games? Thank you for all the great information in the magazines. Always look forward to reading the next issue.

Henry and Jane (JJ) Weinberg – Scottsdale, AZ

A: Jane, thank you for being an Arizona Gaming Guide fan. We truly appreciate your support of our publication!

First, just to be clear, cruise ship casinos are generally only allowed to operate when the ships are in international waters, so these casinos don’t fall under the authority of a government regulatory agency. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is dedicated to providing a set of guidelines for cruise line casinos that address the purchase and internal controls of gaming equipment on the cruise ships. The CLIA calls for all gaming equipment installed on cruise ships to “meet the regulatory standards of the Nevada Gaming Control Board or other licensed jurisdictions for payback and internal software.”

Unfortunately, we must say, that the slot machine games that are available on cruise ships are generally set to the lowest payback percentages available from the slot manufacturers. Although it’s difficult to verify the paybacks on the cruise ship slots unless you play them for a while and analyze the performance of the games, it’s not difficult to observe the payback percentages of games that are openly available to the public such as the video keno and video poker games by just looking at the pay tables. These games tend to have the most horrendous pay tables on cruise ships; some lower than we’ve ever managed to see in land-based casinos! If you can familiarize yourselves with what “decent” video poker and video keno pay tables look like then (based on the type of video poker and video keno games available on the cruise) it will give you an idea of what the cruise line is willing to offer in video slot payback percentages.

Land based casinos in the United States, and all around the world for that matter, are heavily scrutinized by both independent and government regulatory agencies. When gaming software is delivered to a landbased casino, a member of the regulatory agency must be present during installation. Furthermore, random checks on installed software continues to happen on a regular basis to ensure compliance. On the other hand, the CLIA merely suggests that gaming devices be inspected on a regular basis and that security surveillance be adequate enough to “assure operations are fair and equitable for all parties.” To learn more about CLIA and their mission, please visit their website at Cruising.org.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCL) recently announced revisions to its SailSAFE health and safety protocols which further align NCL to the broader travel, leisure and hospitality industry worldwide. Requirements may differ for guests traveling on voyages departing from or visiting destinations with specific local regulations, including but not limited to Canada, Greece and Bermuda. “Our long-awaited revisions to our testing and vaccination requirements bring us closer in line with the rest of society, which has learned to adapt and live with COVID-19, and makes it simpler and easier for our loyal guests to cruise on our three best-in-class brands. Health and safety is our top priority and we will continue to modify our robust SailSAFE program as the public health environment evolves,” said Frank Del Rio, President and Chief Executive Officer of NCL. “The relaxation of protocols coupled with continued easing of travel restrictions and the reopening to cruise in more ports around the globe are meaningfully positive for our business as it reduces friction, expands the addressable cruise market, brings variety to itineraries and provides additional catalysts on the road to recovery.”

Vaccinated guests aged 12 and older will no longer have any pre-cruise COVID-19 related protocols. Unvaccinated guests, aged 12 and older, or those who cannot or decline to provide proof of vaccination, will need to present a negative medically administered PCR or Antigen COVID19 test taken no more than 72 hours prior to boarding. Guests aged 11 and under will not be subject to vaccination requirements or testing protocols of any kind. Vaccinated guests must meet the generallyaccepted definition of “fully vaccinated” based on the destination they are embarking and/or traveling to and must provide proof of vaccination. For more info about Norwegian Cruise Line, visit NCL.com.