As reported by: The Tampa Tribune
The owners of the Ocean Jewel, the new St. Petersburg-based mega-casino ship, have postponed their early August opening until mid- to late August.

Duncan Elliott, a spokesman for the ship's owners, Titan Cruise Lines Inc., says new federal regulations are requiring two-week security training for ship personnel to deal with homeland security concerns.

He said the Ocean Jewel is the first ship at the Port of St. Petersburg subject to the new regulations, which are mandated by the federal Office of Homeland Security.

Elliott said 500 employees have been hired to operate the Las Vegas-style gambling boat, including 400 in the last week.

Positions filled last week include dealers, hosts and servers, he said.

The 450-foot gambling ship, the largest of its kind in Florida, was first announced in December 1992, and service was supposed to begin in March 2003.

St. Petersburg officials embraced the ship, saying it would bring more tourists downtown and erase the city's $150,000 subsidy for the port with docking fees that would be paid.

But financial problems caused the original owners to pull out of the project in March 2003, before the service started.

A group of investors from Illinois took over.

The company began a major advertising campaign in the past few months, emphasizing it offers Las Vegas-style gambling and entertainment.

Elliott said the Ocean Jewel will have a full complement of Las Vegas-style games, such as blackjack and and baccarat. He said the ship's main competitor, the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, offers a more limited gambling experience.

However, Doug Hoppe, director of marketing for the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, which had its grand opening in March, said the casino is crowded nightly and is meeting expectations.

''We have a great product and we hope to continue growing our product," he said.

The Seminole Hard Rock Casino offers poker, bingo and, in contrast to the Ocean Jewel, the freedom to arrive and depart as one pleases, he said.

Elliott said the Ocean Jewel will be different from the typical casino boat experience because customers won't have to stay on board all evening. Three Hovercrafts will depart throughout the evening, taking passengers on the 30-minute journey from the Port of St Petersburg to the ship's location in international waters.

That would mitigate the normal hour-and-a-half journey that a casino boat must travel to get to international waters.