01-08-2025
The Luckiest Cruise Ship Casinos—According To a Gambling.com Ranking
Rows of Casino Slot Machines with Shallow Depth of Field. Las Vegas Gambling Theme. getty
Serious gamers chasing big wins often head to the Las Vegas strip or top gambling destinations worldwide like Monte Carlo or Macau. But casinos are also a popular amenity on cruise ships, with everything from slots and roulette to blackjack often on board. These floating casinos, most commonly on larger ships versus smaller river cruises or expedition cruise ships, tend to draw less serious gamblers and generally have tighter slots than their land-based counterparts. But with that being said, if you're a high roller at high seas, some ships may be luckier than others, according to a new analysis from that ranked the luckiest cruise ships casinos.
The luckiest cruise ship casino in 2025 is the Diamond Princess, according to analysis released in July 2025.
Taking its inaugural cruise in March 2004, the ship — which has a guest capacity of 2,710 — runs several itineraries throughout Asia. Some of those routes include a 12-day trip that traverses through Thailand and Malaysia, several routes through Japan and a Vietnam itinerary that cruises along Halong Bay.
'The ship has a Las Vegas-style casino that offers the latest slot machines, blackjack, Texas hold 'em and prize tournaments,' the announcement from says.
To determine the luckiest cruise ships casinos, the team analyzed Tripadvisor reviews, mining them for key words with positive associations to winning such as 'luck,' 'lucky' and 'happy.' This is a similar method used in other 'luckiest casino' rankings, like one in May that determined the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Resort led the list of the luckiest casinos in the United States.
For the most part, cruise ships are limited to operating only when the ship is in international waters and not when they're in port.
But when it comes to casinos on cruise ships, Princess appears to have an edge. The World Cruise Awards in 2024 named the Enchanted Princess as the best ship for gambling. Routes on this ship range from Canada and New England to the Caribbean as well as trips in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas.
While many large cruise lines have gambling options on board, others, including Viking and Disney Cruise Line, have opted against having casinos onboard. Some cruise lines, like WIndStar Cruises, though, have scrapped casinos from their ships and repurposed the square footage into public spaces. Azamara converted its casinos into a relaxing lounge area for guests to read, hang out, mingle and listen to live piano music.
Here's the top five luckiest cruise ship casinos, according to No. 1: Diamond Princess operated by Princess
The Vegas-style casino offers gaming lessons and is a place where you can try your luck at slot machines, roulette, blackjack, Texas Hold 'Em, and more. No. 2: Wonder of the Seas operated by Royal Caribbean
Wonder of the Seas runs cruises from Miami to the Caribbean, with stops at the cruise line's private island CocoCay. The cruise line's casino is called Casino Royale. No. 3: Infinity operated by Celebrity
Smoke-free casinos offer slot machines and table games, featuring blackjack, baccarat and more. For adjacent fun with less at stake, play a live-action game of Deal or No Deal . No. 4: The Emerald operated by Princess
The Emerald Princess cruise ship offers a variety of cruises, ranging from a Pacific Wine Country trip to one that travels to the Baja Peninsula and Sea of Cortez in Mexico. Most ships set sail out of Los Angeles. No. 5: Queen Elizabeth operated by Cunard Cruise Line
