Timor Sea Justice

Cruise Ships

How Gambling Varies in Different Maritime Boundaries

One thing that most people are not aware of is that the gambling laws that govern the sea are different from those that apply to dry land. One thing that is renowned when it comes to maritime laws is that whenever a ship is 22.2 kilometres from the coast of a nation, the waters the cruise ship is cruising on are called international waters. When in international waters, cruise ships are bound by the laws of the country where they are registered. Therefore cruise ship gamblers crossing international water more so around South-east Asia, Australia and New Zealand need to be aware of how laws vary in different maritime boundaries. Sailing into the maritime boundary of another country after leaving international waters, will have the cruise ship subjected to the gambling laws that apply in that country. This shows that if a country has outlawed cruise ship gambling in its country, cruise ship casinos entering into the waters of the particular country will have to shut down. The variation comes in on the part that we have countries that have outlawed any form of gambling and others are receptive to gambling and have legislations around them. Let us take a look at how gambling varies in different maritime boundaries.

South-East Asia

This region consists of eleven countries, for purposes of cruise ship gambling we take a look at Thailand which is among the eleven countries. Cruise ship casinos are only allowed from select port cities. This means that those port cities not selected are not allowed to tolerate cruise ship casinos. Tourism is a big part of the economy in Thailand and this move was basically to attract more tourists hence promoting the economy. This means that in Thailand Cruise ship casinos are legal but only from select ports hence docking ships have to adhere to this. In the Philippines which is another South-east Asian country, cruise ship casinos are legal, however, it is a requirement that any transactions that surpass 5 million pesos are reported to the anti-money laundering money agency.

Australia

Australia is a federal state and the federal government has the authority to enact laws that regulate gambling within Australia. States also can make some regulations that can govern the laws within their jurisdiction. Having had a track record as among the regions with the world’s biggest number of gamblers. The federal government requires that people that run casinos procure an operator’s license. On the part of cruise ship casinos, it is only Western Australia that has allowed for a conditional operation of these casinos. The condition that must be adhered to by the cruise ship owners is that the gaming should only take place within 12 nautical miles offshore. This, therefore, means that if the cruise ship goes on to operate the casino in international waters, then the same is illegal. If it operates within the maritime boundary, then that is legal. In short, cruise ships with a Western Australian registration can’t operate a cruise ship casino in international waters. This is basically to protect mainland casinos and control illegal gaming in international waters. Also, cruise ship casinos from other countries would find the interest to come into Australia.

New Zealand

New Zealand is a country that has outlawed gambling through the Gambling Act of 2003. The Act further outlaws conducting of gambling on any ship that is in the New Zealand waters. The maritime boundary of New Zealand is 12 miles from the mainland coastal boundary. When it comes to the laws of international waters, the cruise ship is bound by the laws of the country where it is registered. This means that a cruise ship leaving New Zealand and is registered under New Zealand Laws cannot still engage in any cruise ship gambling activities unless and otherwise it is registered in a country that allows gambling. What this means is that cruise ships with New Zealand registration can’t partake in any forms of gambling whether within the territory or in the international waters.

Variation

All these three regions have one thing in common. Cruise ship casinos are highly regulated. Both Thailand and the Philippines show that cruise ship casinos are allowed but the conducting of the business has to adhere to laid down laws. When it comes to New Zealand these casinos are completely outlawed within the 12 nautical miles of New Zealand. Being that the mainland laws of the cruise ship country of registration apply at the high seas too, this means that a cruise ship with a New Zealand registration can’t conduct gaming in the high seas either. For Australia, it’s only in the west that cruise ships casinos can operate but only within the maritime boundaries so as not to create an unfair market to the dry land casinos.

By Timor Sea Justice / May 16, 2020

Casinos

Everything You Need To Know About Cruise Ship Casinos

While you are planning your cruise, you will want to have a full understanding of a whole lot of what you should understand about cruise ship casinos. This article has everything you need to know about opening hours of the casino, port fees, currencies, and destinations. Intro to casinos on cruise ships is essential for anyone thinking about going on one. The many sides of this type of gambling are much different than traditional casinos. They require an entirely separate set of skills and techniques to be successful. When you ask for a list of the opening hours, you will be provided with a toll-free number. This number can be an effective way to contact the casino to see what time they open and close for the day, let’s take a look at everything you need to know about Cruise Ship Casinos. Here are the basic details. Many of these casinos will be open from around the clock. Other casinos may only be open from midnight to the next morning. Check with the casino in question to find out if their business hours will be the same as the name states on their website. Sometimes the casinos must change their hours occasionally. First, there are online casinos that offer poker. You can join these games and play at any time. Many games will allow you to take part in some of the top tables, but most online casinos will have some of the best tables available. Many ports charge added fees to the cruise ship owner, and some cruise lines do not offer a port fee when they are in the area. But the fees are anywhere from a few dollars per day to several hundred dollars. There are also slots and blackjack available in many of the more popular slots and blackjack sites. Some of the tables are interactive so that you can learn about the rules. You can use your skill to decide whether to play a better hand or take a chance and hope for the best. Many other port fees are imposed by the destination ports. Some have an international policy where they do not charge an entrance fee to ships sailing to specific destinations. Be sure to check this policy before arriving at the destination port. Gambling can also be available online. These sites will let you try out games to see how you do. You can often see what the results of a game look like before you decide to take part. Federal law protects travelers from being ripped off by marine casinos. The marine casinos must abide by federal marine casino laws, and as such, they must hold certain standards when it comes to their card games. On some casino sites, you can order food and drinks right from the table. It is as easy as paying for drinks at a bar, with no special games or tokens required. Many casinos on cruise ships will sell snacks, soft drinks, and other items for you to enjoy while you gamble. However, marine casino laws are not necessarily designed to protect you from being ripped off. Many marine casinos are running in a grey area that has not been clearly defined by either the federal or state governments. Therefore, it is up to you to read the regulations carefully. Those casino games that you normally would find at casinos around the world are found on most of the websites offering these games. These include roulette, craps, and many others. While some games may be offered at a reduced rate, you may find that it is worth it to pay the full amount to take part in one of these games. The marine casino laws are designed to protect you from the unlawful activities of other players who are competing against you. When it comes to “poker,” the marine casinos do not regulate cards as much as the other types of gambling casinos. Therefore, if you are a player who enjoys a game of poker, you may need to consult with the casino you are staying at. Every casino’s quality of the products they sell will differ, depending on how much you pay. Those offering the tables will usually have the best tables, but those offering the slot machines may offer lower quality and less variety. Before you spend any money, try each site to see which one offers the best product. Passengers do not realize there are credit card fees that apply to those who are using their cards at the ports of call. Most fees are exceedingly small, but you should make sure that you know what each one entails.

Also, if you have another credit card that allows you to use their points to fund your trip, you will want to make sure that they are all active on your credit cards. When you visit a casino, you will have to show some identification. This is to confirm that you are indeed who you say you are. Now and then, it can be difficult to tell what type of casinos you are dealing with, so you should check the identification to make sure that it is the correct one. When it comes to cruising through ports of call that have maritime casino laws, it is especially important to be aware of the local gambling laws that apply to you. You will want to know what types of activities are covered by the port fees and what types are not. You will need to discuss with counsel before you depart to make sure that you are abiding by all regulations. There are many places to go if you are looking for a casino. However, you will have to make sure that you stay within your budget. These casinos on cruise ships are great, but if you are not able to fit in a good night of gambling, you will not be satisfied. Finally, when it comes to the marine casino laws, make sure that you are aware of the state laws as well. Many states do not require casinos to meet specific standards, and as a result, some casinos may not be following the correct marine casino laws. Many casinos will offer tips for helping you find the perfect casino to gamble at. Some will even give you coupons for the best night out ever. Remember, you would like to get the most bang for your bucks. So, while you may be planning your cruise, there is a lot to learn about cruise ship casinos and the types of activities that are regulated by the state as well as by the federal government. So be sure to review the marine casino laws before making your trip. Whether you plan a short trip or a long one, there are a lot of reasons why you should understand the regulations that are in place. A casino can be an exciting place to spend some money. Make sure that you consider all the costs before you commit to gambling. You may be surprised at how much you could spend if you were able to get a little of your money back. Good luck, and enjoy your cruise.

By Timor Sea Justice / March 26, 2020

Casinos Cruise Ships

4 Reasons for Maritime Boundaries Rivalry and Its Effect on Cruise Ship Casino Gambling

One of the things that you should know before you start playing casino games on cruise ships is about the maritime boundaries and territorial laws.

If you have been playing casino games for quite a long time you would know that there are states and countries that haven’t legalized gambling yet.

The reason why we want to bring up the topic about maritime boundaries is because of the rivalry that has been happening between Australia and Timor.

Just recently, these countries have signed a treaty to formalize their share on the sea of interest. But before that went down a lot of things happened.

Why are these countries fighting over such an area? Here are some of the reasons why.

Marine Resources

What’s being discussed here is the Timor Sea, thus, it is just sensible to think that they are fighting over the marine resources. There are a lot of things that you can get from marine life. It is not just constricted towards fishing, it could also be about tourism especially when there are islands involved.

Hydrocarbon Resources

To be honest, this is the main reason why Australia and East Timor is in a dilemma. Australians have discovered a place called Great Sunrise in the Sea of Timor which was a natural gas field.

For many years now, a lot of big oil companies have partnered with each other in order to extract as much as they can. Before the treaty was signed Australia and East Timor were on a 50-50 agreement. This means that each country would get 50% of the gas revenues.

The Pipeline Issue

The first agreement made between Australia and East Timor was called CMATS. Now, this agreement did not tackle as to how the field shall be developed. On the side of East Timor, they wanted a pipeline which starts from the field and ends in the south coast where they can process the gas.

On the other hand, the commercial venture partners who were with the Australian government did not think of such an option as viable. Such dispute led both countries to an impasse which started the pursuit of East Timor to permanent maritime boundaries. This could potentially lead to advancing their pipeline interest.

Economic Status

The reason why East Timor is very eager to establish its maritime boundary against Australia is that they are afraid that their country would cease to generate revenue. Research shows that the resources they are using will deplete and last until 2020, after that they can only rely on their petroleum fund.

If such maritime boundaries are not properly identified, there is a great chance that gamblers would play in unauthorized territories.

For those who would still push through gambling on some of the world’s greatest cruise ships, make sure that you have already understood the rules of every territory the ship travels through.

By Timor Sea Justice / June 24, 2019

Facts

Appreciating the Importance of Maritime Boundaries for Casino Gambling in a Brief History

One of the things that you should take note of when playing casino games on one of the best cruise ships is the rule on maritime boundaries. It is imperative that you are able to consider the laws of the territories that you are currently in as it would determine the legality of casinos.

Of course, knowing whether gambling is legal or not is the main purpose of having maritime boundaries. Most of the time territories need to identify where their area starts and ends because of the resources that will become available for them.

One of the longest-running disputes when it comes to territorial waters is how the sea should be divided. It is widely known that the dispute has been solved recently between Timor-Leste and Australia.

1989-1991

Since an Australian energy company and Indonesia started to take different sides of the Timor Sea, both countries decided to sign and ratify a treaty called Timor Gap Treaty. However, this treaty does not actually establish maritime boundaries but instead call for a 50-50 deal on the proceeds of the delineated portion of the Sea between Australia and East Timor.

August 1999

During the past years, Woodside has partnered with Shell for a joint exploration and drilling of the portion that Australia covers. However, the entirety of East Timor voted for independence during this year.

This, then, questioned future development plans as well as treaties and boundary terminations.

1999-2001

For Australia, more companies partnered with Woodside to begin oil production. This has resulted in a drastic increase in the tax revenues of Australia. Furthermore, the partnership between the top companies moved for the development of both the Bayu-Undan fields and Greater Sunrise fields.

July 2001

The fight of Timor for their independence against Indonesia finally came through. Timor-Leste had made it clear that they will not be bound by treaties which have been entered into by Indonesia from the previous years including the TGT. This time only Australia and East Timor have claims to the maritime area.

2002

During this year, a lot of things happened. An oil and gas company offered East Timor financial support against it expanded seabed boundary claims against Australia. Sometime after, Australia filed reservations to prevent the claims which are raised by Timor-Leste.

In mid-2002 Timor-Leste was permanently released from Indonesia and on the same day they have come up to an agreement with Australia for the Timor Sea Treaty. This is the treaty which replaced TGT initially entered by Australia and Indonesia.

2018

It was not until 2018 when Timor-Leste and Australia finally established their treaty which was established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In between these years, a lot of negotiations went through. Demands were made and issues arose. But in the end, all went well.

It is very tiring and time-consuming to resolve disputes when it comes to maritime boundaries. Which is why if you plan on playing casino games on some of the best cruise ships, you should consider cruise ships that follow routes with clear cut lines between territories. This way, you’ll be able to know when to gamble and when to lie low.

By Timor Sea Justice / May 26, 2019

Cruise Ships

4 Reasons Why It Is Important to Establish Timor Maritime Boundaries for Cruise Ship Casino Gambling

The term maritime boundary is the division of waters among different territories. In order to strategically divide Earth’s waters, physiographic and geopolitical criteria are used. As opposed to what you may think, landward waters such as rivers and lakes do not qualify for the term territorial waters.

For those who are looking for the top-rated cruise ship to take for casino gambling, it is important that every territory has already established their maritime boundaries. This is mainly encouraged so that determining whether you are gambling legally or is possible.

The maritime boundaries also have zones and these zones are very important because of certain reasons. Inland waters, territorial sea, contiguous, and exclusive economic zones are the ones that you need to know about.

In order to appreciate more of the importance of maritime boundaries, we take a closer look at the importance of establishing these boundaries.

Economic Aspects

Not a lot of people know this but it is a great issue between countries and territories when they cross borders to gather marine resources. When a territory knows as to what extent your area stretches in terms of the waters, there are a lot of things that you can do to influence your economy.

For instance, the islands and marine resources. With the right cultivation, an island with a rich marine resource could attract tourists to visit, thus, increasing a country’s income drastically. It will create jobs too which is a help that the government can extend towards its people.

Casino Gambling

Most of you might already know that various territories have their own rules when it comes to gambling. Some have already legalized it while others still treat it as an illegal activity.

As someone who goes on casino gambling in the best cruise ships, it is very important to know the maritime borders and the laws of such territories.

When you are within the territorial waters of a country that legalizes gambling, then you have no problem with the government authorities hunting you down.

Once you are in international waters such problem won’t be present anymore as no national government holds any jurisdiction on it.

Discovery Rights

Within a government, some people are tasked to conduct excavations and explorations on uncharted territories. When someone discovers something, there will be disputes as to which government should own it if territorial boundaries are not clear.

With the help of maritime borders, one will be able to claim a discovery regardless of who discovered it. Of course, the discoverer would get some credits. When the discovery is something of importance to a territory, country, or a nation, it is the government’s duty to preserve it.

Jurisdiction

Maritime boundaries determine where a territory’s jurisdiction starts and ends. In order to ensure that a person is rightly judged, one needs to know where the person committed their crime.

Because of these facts, it can’t be denied how important it was for Timor to establish their maritime borders. Gladly, last September 2018, the Timor-Leste treaty was signed drawing a clear line between Australia and East Timor’s territory.

There might be some setbacks when it comes to settling disputes between territories when it comes to maritime boundaries. However, this is a necessary step as cruise ship casino gambling has become so popular.

And if people don’t know which territory they are on, they might be risking their lives for illegal gambling.

By Timor Sea Justice / April 30, 2019

Casinos

4 of the Best Cruise Ship Casinos and Rules on Maritime Boundaries

A lot of casino goers know that when it comes to casino gambling, not every state allows such activity. With this in mind, you should consider that gambling on a cruise ship is not an excuse to risk playing it on such territories.

In this post, we take a look at some of the world’s best cruise ship casinos, and some of the rules on maritime boundaries you should be aware of before taking to the casino floor.

Nothing quite beats the experience of gambling on one of the most luxurious cruise ships in the world. With the information we provide here, you’ll be able to select the best cruise, and know whether or not you’ll be able to gamble while cruising!

The Queen Mary 2

On the Queen Mary 2, you’ll find the Empire Casino. If it’s absolute luxury and glamour you are yearning for, booking one of their transatlantic cruises is a must. Be sure to check whether the Queen Mary 2 will land in any territories where gambling is illegal as you won’t be able to bet while there.

Allure of the Seas

Looking for a true Bond experience? Then you should hop on the Allure of the Seas. This massive cruise ship boasts a string of five-star entertainment activities, including their stellar onboard casino, Casino Royale.

Expect star treatment while sipping on your tall cocktail and playing your favourite game.

Norwegian Escape

With 15 restaurants, loads of clubs, and the opportunity to gamble at the fabulous casino, the Norwegian Escape is a great option for every gambler out there. This cruise ship’s route is between Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, so be sure to check what the law on gambling is in these territorial waters.

Sunborn Superyacht Hotel and Casino

Finally, we have the Sunborn Superyacht Hotel and Casino. Even though you won’t be sailing the seas while gambling on this luxurious superyacht, you’ll still be able to rub shoulders with high rollers and gamble.

The boat is permanently docked in Gibraltar and features a smaller yet fabulous casino floor with all the trimmings.

We cannot stress the importance of familiarizing yourself with the rules on maritime borders enough. These are established to remind you that some rules don’t vanish just because you think you are away from it.

When you are trying to pick out the best cruise ship casino, make sure that you have already studied everything about maritime boundaries. But most importantly, have fun while enjoying the open seas!

By Timor Sea Justice / April 20, 2019