Is There Sports Betting On Cruise Ships?

There are three main things that come to mind when thinking of vacationing on cruise ships and those are relaxation, eating, and gambling. Putting an emphasis on gambling, several cruises now offer legal sports betting through different avenues when you are on the ship. Sports betting on cruises is fairly new, however, the market has taken off and cruise ships around the world are now offering their guests top of the line sports betting odds. Read this page for a breakdown of what cruises have sports betting in 2024. 

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Carnival Paves The Way For Sports Betting On U.S. Cruises

In 2022, the Carnival Corporation became the first cruise line to offer sports betting on its ships after their partnership with BetMGM. As a part of the deal, 50+ ships under the Carnival umbrella including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, and Princess Cruises from around the U.S. all began offering sports betting odds. When on the ship, cruisers will be able to place bets when the ships are in international waters or docked at a port in a state that has a regulated sports betting market. When it comes down to placing your bets on any of the cruises that have sports betting, you’ll be able to do so either through sports betting kiosks or with the mobile app.

Is There Sports Betting On Panama Canal Cruises?

Absolutely, cruises through the Panama Canal do stop at ports where there is sports betting. Whether it is through an online sportsbook or at a physical retail location, you’ll be able to place bets throughout the duration of your trip. The ports of call on a Panama Canal cruise that have sports betting include:

• Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
• Cartagena, Colombia
• Colon, Panama
• Puerto Limon, Costa Rica
• Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
• Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• Puntarenas, Costa Rica
• Willemstad, Curacao

With the exception of the Mexico and Curacao ports, there are no physical sportsbooks in the other ports, but sports betting in those countries are legal in online fashion through several licensed operators. In Mexico, there are sportsbooks both in Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta in which you can visit when getting off the ship. In Curacao, many of the casinos there have retail sportsbooks also.

European Cruises With Sports Betting

Sports betting is all over Europe so for those Americans taking European cruises, you’ll have several options to choose from to continue betting on all of your favorite sports. The main European cruise ports to depart from include Southampton, England, Barcelona, Spain, and Amsterdam, Netherlands. Each of these destinations has legal sports betting in some capacity whether it’s online or in person. Some of the sports betting destinations that these cruises have on their itineraries include:

• Cannes, France
• Nice, France
• Paris, France
• Portofino, Italy
• Genoa, Italy
• Florence, Italy
• Rome, Italy
• Vigo, Spain
• Malga. Spain
• Valencia, Spain,
• Porto, Portugal
• Belfast, Ireland
• Glasgow, Scotland

Cruise Ship Sports Betting Out Of New York

New York itself is already home to several sportsbooks and online sports betting sites so cruising out of the Empire State makes it easy on sports bettors. The most popular cruise itinerary is to Bermuda where the ship docks for three days before heading back to the Brooklyn Terminal. In Bermuda though, there are sportsbooks right in Hamilton at the casinos where the cruise ports are, and with three days of exploring, there is plenty of time for you to go and place bets in person.

Popular Sports Betting Cruise Destinations

Betting On Sports In The Bahamas

Nassau, Bahamas is arguably the most popular port of call amongst all Caribbean cruise itineraries and luckily for you, there is sports betting there. Not only are there several retail sportsbooks to visit including the Atlantis Paradise Island or Baha Mar, but you could use legal online sportsbooks there as well. Those that do not plan on leaving the ship and making the trip to any retail location can use BetOnline, MyBookie, or one of the other online betting sites that are legal in the Bahamas.

Betting On Sports In Puerto Rico

Cruisegoers in Puerto Rico have the option of betting in person or online. The cruise port in PR is in San Juan which is where both retail sportsbooks are located. There is BetMGM Puerto Rico Sportsbook at La Concha Hotel Casino or Caesars Sportsbook at Foxwoods El San Juan. Being that PR is still U.S. territory, you have the option of using Bovada, BetOnline, and MyBookie here along with several other licensed legal sportsbooks.

Betting On Sports In Cozumel, Mexico

Sports betting in Cozumel, Mexico is easy to come by both through retail and online operators. In the retail sportsbook space, the Jackpot Cozumel Casino in the Royal Village Shopping Center has a sportsbook inside of it and is located directly across the street from the Puerta Maya Pier which is where the cruises port at. As far as online sports betting in Mexico, the country does not have any regulated markets, but the licensed books such as BetOnline, SportsBetting, XBet, and MyBookie, have been accepting Mexico players for years without any restrictions.

Betting On Sports In Dominican Republic

There are several cruise ports in the Dominican Republic and with that, there are plenty of retail sports betting locations. However, most of the retail sportsbooks are not geared towards tourists as they are not affiliated with casino resorts. Instead, they are hosted in small betting shops around the country. Other than that, cruises going to DR usually port in Puerto Plata which is a 2+ hour drive from both Punta Cana, La Romana, and Santo Domingo which is where sportsbooks in the Dominican Republic are found. With time being a factor on cruises, these can be a challenge for quick stops.

Betting On Sports In Aruba

Many might think that because Aruba is only 6 miles wide and 20 miles long that there isn’t any space for sports betting. That isn’t the case at all and cruises that stop here allow their guests to explore the 12 different casinos which host multiple retail sportsbooks. When your cruise stops in Aruba, you’ll be able to get to the nearest sportsbook in about 5 minutes.

Betting On Sports In New Zealand

One of the main destinations for cruises out of Hawaii is New Zealand which does have sports betting available in a regulated market through retail locations. With so many cruise ports in NZ and only a limited amount of New Zealand sportsbooks, it could be hard for you to place bets in person when you are on a time crunch at the port depending on where you dock.

Sports Betting On Alaskan Cruises

There are plenty of sports betting opportunities when taking an Alaskan cruise regardless of where the cruise leaves out of. That could be Seattle, Washington, San Francisco, California, or Vancouver, British Columbia. Of these three departure ports, San Francisco is the only one without a regulated sports betting market. In Seattle, you have several retail Washington sportsbooks to enjoy before and after your cruise. In Vancouver, their sports betting system is run a little differently. You can go to small lottery retailers and fill out a betting ticket and have your bet placed right there outside of a casino.

After your cruise has departed, you’ll still have access to sports betting but through legal online sportsbooks like Bovada. Sports betting in Alaska does not have a regulated sector, however, Bovada is legal in Alaska and has been accepting Alaska players for over 10 years. You can use these sportsbooks right from the ship and when you get off at any of the Alaska cruise ports.