New casino boat to be based in Provincetown

Heidi P. Perlman

Thursday, June 1, 2000 | 11:54 a.m.

BOSTON - A floating casino is about to sail from a pier at the very tip of Cape Cod, months after plans were dropped for a boat leaving from a different town on the Cape.

The Midnight Gambler, a 108-foot boat, will open for business in Provincetown in about a week. Leaving from Fisherman's Pier, the boat will offer two or three five-hour cruises each day.

"We have a lot of people leaving here to go to the Foxwoods casino to gamble," said Candice Boden, director of the Provincetown Chamber of Commerce. "It's worth a try to have the boat here and keep our visitors in town longer."

Gambling casinos are against the law in Massachusetts, but gambling boats skirt this problem by cruising three miles from shore into international waters - where federal law prohibits states from interfering with gambling.

Owned by Monte Carlo Concessions, of Boca Raton, Fla., the boat will feature slot machines, poker, craps tables and other games, as well as a buffet dinner and entertainment.

Concerns about traffic congestion were foremost when plans for a boat leaving from a different Cape Cod town, Hyannis, were opposed by town officials last year, but Midnight Gambler co-owner John Ciluzzi said that shouldn't be an issue in Provincetown.

About 200 parking spots are set aside for patrons already, and the main road through the small water-side community leads right to the pier, he said.

He also plans to offer package deals for the boat that will include a weekend at a local hotel and dinner in an area restaurant, thus building good will among local merchants.

Other casino boats are already running out of Gloucester and Lynn.

But last May, voters in Hull sank a proposal to operate a gambling boat from the town-owned Nantasket Pier in a nonbinding referendum by a 2-to-1 margin.

And in January, after a year-long fight that wound up in court, a gambling boat operator pulled its application to run a boat out of Hyannis.

Still, Ciluzzi said he was optimistic that the Midnight Gambler would be successful.

"This will be something good for Provincetown," he promised.