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A run of luck on a casino boat puts a gambler up $18,000. He gets an IOU. Now he wants cash.
By JULIE CHURCH
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 4, 2001
TARPON SPRINGS -- Bob Bowman, or "Bud Light Bob" as he is sometimes known, boards local casino boats three to five times a week and generally wagers $150 per bet at the craps tables.
Bowman, a 56-year-old retired trucking company owner, says he's lost more than he's won over the years, but he has never encountered the problem he faced last month aboard the Victori casino boat out of Tarpon Springs.
On June 15, Bowman set sail on the boat, owned by Ward Casino Cruises and doing business as Athena Cruises at the Sponge Docks. That night, he went home with an additional $10,000, his biggest win ever aboard a gambling ship.
At the boat's invitation, he returned the following night and won another $18,069. But instead of receiving the full payout, Bowman received $8,069, mostly in small bills. The boat gave him an IOU for the remaining $10,000.
After several attempts over the past two weeks to claim the money, Bowman on Monday sought the advice of an attorney.
"I don't want to put anyone out of business," Bowman said. "I just want my money."
Bowman's demand for his winnings is the most recent in a string of problems facing the Victori since it came to the Sponge Docks in May. The city has cited the boat making too much noise and said where it is docked violates the zoning code.
Since late June, the ship has not been able to leave the dock because its engine is not running.
"We have a young company with a lot of growth pains," Ward Cruise Lines vice president Ken Whitcomb said Tuesday.
The company almost had one less problem.
After his jackpot on June 15, Bowman did not intend to return to the boat the following night.
But he received a call from Gus Frantzis, the Victori's assistant casino manager, inviting him back. Frantzis informed him that they would come pick him up at his Tarpon Springs home and have a case of his favorite beer, Bud Light, waiting for him on deck.
His winning streak continued that night, and he was up nearly $20,000 when the craps table closed for the evening.
At one point, Bowman said, "My neck was hurting from rolling (the dice) to the right all evening, and I really needed to take a break."
It was then that Frantzis, the assistant casino manager, stepped in and started rolling for Bowman. He continued to win. Then casino manager John Floras took over. His luck held. Finally, even the disc jockey rolled for Bowman and the winning streak continued.
"I've never had this kind of luck," Bowman said. "The last four times I sailed on the Sun Cruz, I lost $38,000."
That night, Frantzis gave Bowman an IOU saying, "We owe $10,000.00 on account to Bob." Bowman said Frantzis told him to return the following week to start receiving $2,500 installments. He said Floras told him that if he demanded a full payment it would put them out of business.
Bowman said when he returned to the boat, no one would talk to him. He has been unable to speak to any of the boat's management since.
Whitcomb said he has every intention of paying Bowman's debt and maintained that his company does not have cash-flow problems. He said he is merely waiting on some paperwork from the U.S. Customs Service and the Internal Revenue Service.
"It is written in the cage and it is on the books," Whitcomb said.
Whitcomb said he is merely trying to establish and follow procedures on the boat. His employees weren't sure what those procedures were when they paid Bowman $10,000 on June 15, but the next night they knew they couldn't make a payout of over $10,000 without the proper paperwork.
Bowman said he has not been asked to supply a Social Security or tax identification number or to fill out any forms relating to the payout.
Customs and IRS officials said they didn't know of any reason that their agencies' paperwork would hold up any payments to Bowman.
Holding a payout is not standard procedure for the eight cruise lines that are members of the Day Cruise Association, a casino boat industry advocacy and lobbying group in Tarpon Springs, said Jean Walder, executive director.
"I've been here since 1992 and I've never heard of anything like this, ever, ever," she said.
Athena Cruise Lines, which runs the Victori, is not a member of the group.
The industry is not regulated because the boats sail in international waters, but Walder said they follow rules used in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Mississippi.
"We have a code of ethics," she said.
Since May, the Victori has been cited by the city for a noise violation and warned for violating a city ordinance requiring a 1,500-foot distance between touring vessels. It has not been sailing since late June because of problems with the motor.
Whitcomb said part of the problem with the city was that the boat needed a current Coast Guard certificate of inspection. He said the boat received the certificate this week and plans to cruise again by July 11.
Tarpon Springs police Capt. Bob Kochen said Tuesday that he'd have to look into the matter to see if a revised certificate satisfies the ordinance requirements.
- Staff writer Katherine Gazella contributed to this report.