An urban explorer has set foot on-board a ‘creepy’ passenger ship that appears to have been abandoned by gamblers who simply ‘vanished’ from its once-bustling casino.
Ben Stevens, who is known for photographing eerie abandoned areas around the world, recently witnessed the rows of slot machines and chip-filled roulette table on the now-defunct boat docked in Florida.
The Blue Horizon casino cruise ship, which sailed out of the Port of Palm Beach, disbanded operations less than a year after being launched in 2015.
As Stevens ventured inside, the 30-year-old found casino items left in perfect condition and says the casino boat had been left ‘standing still in time’.
Ben Stevens, who is known for photographing eerie abandoned areas around the world recently visited a a 600-passenge cruise ship docked in Florida
He was able to capture pictures of intact slot machines, playing cards as well as a room filled with dozens of casino chips.
At one point, Stevens also came across $50 on board which was covered in mold.
Recalling his visit, he told What’s The Jam: ‘It was literally like a ghost ship. It’s like people were gambling one day and then they all vanished.’
After spending a few hours on the boat, the explorer noted that he found the vessel to be ‘creepy and interesting’.
After Stevens finished his tour, he recalled: ‘It was both creepy and interesting as everything had been left from money and poker chips to all the furniture.
As Stevens began to venture inside, the 30-year-old found items predating the outbreak left in perfect condition and concluded that the ship had been left ‘standing still in time’
He was able to capture pictures of nearly-perfect looking slot machines, playing cards as well as a room filled with dozens of casino chips
The Blue Horizon casino cruise ship, which was launched in 2015 and sailed out of the Port of Palm Beach, disbanded operations after being unable to compete with the state’s gambling rules
‘There was one room with a safe and all the chips that would have been traded in for cash.
‘I was there for a few hours but it was so hot inside and the smell of mold was crazy.’
After sailing for a mere five months, the Blue Horizon was forced to be docked after land-based Florida casinos were legally allowed to offer craps and roulette to gamblers.
Before this, only the day cruise to ‘nowhere’ could offer high rollers these games as well as slot machines for those keen to make a quick buck.
Robert Weisberg, managing director of PB Gaming, the company which operated the ship said with the launch of the new laws, the vessel had been stripped of its uniqueness and no longer held any appeal.
‘There was one room with a safe and all the chips that would have been traded in for cash,’ he said
After spending a few hours on the boat, the explorer noted that he found the vessel to be ‘creepy and interesting’
Former casino boat captain Mark Wilkerson explained at the time: ‘It’s a dying era, I understand that. It’s hard to compete with land-based stuff.
‘When you’re stuck [on a boat for] four hours, it’s hard to do anything but sit there and wait for it to come back to the dock.’
But the new gambling laws weren’t the first problem the ship faced.
Before PB Gaming bought the ship, it’s two previous two operators had gone bankrupt due to unknown reasons.
During the first three months of it’s launch, the company also ended up spending about $9 million on the vessel to fix its engine and other parts due to damage.
At one point, Stevens also came across $50 on board which was covered in mold
