Former rodeo bull and bucking bronco rider Vidal Conde hopes to revive casino cruises out of Corpus Christi, Texas, starting on January 25. Conde’s Texas Gold Nugget Casinos Cruises will offer two daily five-hour casino cruises into international waters for gamblers age 21 and older aboard a 1,200-passenger Jet Catamaran. For per ticket, players can enjoy 650 slots, blackjack and poker and sports betting. Conde said the 1,000 tickets for the boat’s inaugural cruise are sold out.
“When I first floated the idea, a lot of people were like ‘you’re the right person for this kind of job.’ Entertainment is my life. I love to show people a good time,” said Conde, who rode his last rodeo bull a decade ago. He also operates the popular Pharaoh Casino Tour Bus that brings players from the Coastal Bend to the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino, 220 miles away in Eagle Pass.
Coast Guard spokeswoman Lieutenant Margaret A. Kratz said marine inspectors have contacted Conde and are working with him to make sure the vessel meets the requirements for operation.
Previously, the Texas Treasure operated cruises from Port Aransas from 2000 to May 2008, when operations were supposed to cease temporarily for routine maintenance on the boat. However, the ship’s operators and its Liberian owners, Discovery Dawn, became entangled in a legal dispute and operations never resumed.
Conde said he has done his homework to make sure the Gold Nugget cruises don’t make the same mistakes as the Texas Treasure. He said he plans to work with hotels to market the cruises and in addition, only will allow smoking on the bridge deck and outdoors. “The demand is there and it’s only going to grow,” Conde said.
