For many, gambling in the casino is cruising highlight. From rows of slot machines to high-stakes poker tables, there are endless opportunities to gamble while cruising.
For cruise lines, casinos are extremely profitable by capitalizing on relaxed vacationers who are eager to spend. In fact, gambling on a cruise is so lucrative for cruise lines that high-spending gamblers are rewarded for their financial investments. Cruise lines provide these big spenders with free cruises, unlimited drinks in the casino, free internet, onboard credit and more.
For instance, Royal Caribbean’s Club Royale rewards gamblers based on their yearly spending in the casino by providing points for every dollar spent. One gamblers reach Prime level in the Club Royale with 2,500 points, cruisers receive not only a free 7-night cruise, but also free drinks while in the casino and internet discounts.
Unlike casinos on land, cruise casinos are usually only open when the ship is sailing at sea - away from land. Therefore, there are limited regulations while cruise ships are sailing in international waters. Even still, casinos on cruise ships are highly controlled with surveillance cameras in every nook and cranny of the venue. Crew members working in the casino receive significant training to maintain a safe environment for travelers.
But, what would you do if you were wrongly accused of theft in a cruise casino during your vacation? That’s exactly what happened to one woman who recently shared her traumatic experience while cruising on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape.
How the incident played out
Posting on the r/Cruise subreddit online, user @Ok-Button1074 described how the incident took place on the December 13, 2024 sailing onboard Norwegian Escape from Galveston, Texas. While visiting the casino, the woman posted how she was accused of stealing by the casino manager of stealing a cash-out ticket.
“I was wrongly accused of the theft of a cash-out ticket by the casino manager. He interrogated me directly in front of the cashier desk for at least 5 minutes (It felt like hours). He was so hateful and determined to yell at me (and spit at me while yelling),” explained the woman.
Explaining how the incident unraveled, she stated the casino manager said he knew she had the ticket, demanding, “Give me the ticket, I know you took it.”
“I was stunned but professed my innocence over and over and over again to no avail. I am a petite woman and well, he is a large angry looking man. I asked if he had any proof and he retrieved a report from his office that he cited as proof but if anything it was circumstantial based on timing, nothing more,” she continued.
After the initial incident, she explained how she recovered enough to ask about the surveillance cameras. “We all know they are everywhere on a cruise ship, and in casinos [they are] everywhere. At that point, he begrudgingly let me go, saying he would check the cameras.”
Because of the wrongful accusations, the woman explained how she was fully traumatized by the incident. “I am not a thief and have never been treated by anyone like this,” she stated.
After not receiving a follow-up from the casino manager, the woman and her husband returned to the casino after dinner one evening. Asking about the status of the accusation, the casino manager refused to apologize for the wrongful accusation, only stating, “Oh yeah, it wasn’t you.”
The woman explained she was suck on the ship for an additional four days after the incident. The stress from the accusation left the woman having nightmares and struggling to sleep, stemming from her PTSD.
At the end of the post, she asked for guidance, support and sympathy from fellow cruisers online. In particular, the woman was asking if anyone saw the incident take place onboard the ship and whether other cruisers have found themselves in the same situation.
The woman clarifies the purpose of her post was to see if anyone witnessed the incident in the casino, along with warning others that wrongful accusations can occur on a cruise ship. “I never thought [it was possible]. This was an abuse of power by the casino manager.”
She states, “Please be kind. I am not wealthy. I spent thousands of dollars on this vacation. If I could have flown home from the next port I would have.”
Finally, the poster states she did contact the supervisor on the ship about the wrongful accusation that took place during her cruise. Currently, she is waiting for a report from Norwegian Cruise Line and has yet to receive a response.
Shared experiences from other cruisers
After sharing the incident on Reddit, many fellow cruisers provided advice and input about the wrongful accusation. In fact, some cruisers even shared similar experiences that occurred during their own cruises regarding casino allegations.
The top comment reads, “It apparently happened on an NCL cruise I was on in January. A lady hit the slot machine jackpot and the security stormed the floor stating the machine malfunctioned. They tried revoking her winnings but a bunch of people crowed around her and had her back. From what I understand, she got 10k and a free cruise.”
Continuing, the user shared, “They brought out a bunch of people and was running diagnostic test on the machine, you would swear it was a science lab. What I took away from this is if they thought in malfunction and they were so sure that she would not have hit the jackpot does that mean that it was rigged for no one to win?”
In response, many were astounded by this similar experience onboard Norwegian Cruise Line. One responder stated, “Given how profitable cruise casinos are, trying to weasel out of a jackpot payout in front of other gamblers is pretty much operational suicide. This pattern definitely needs to go up the ladder.”
However, this wasn’t the only similar experience shared in the comment section. Another cruiser explained how their family had won an iPad in the onboard arcade, but were accused of cheating almost immediately after.
The person said, “My family won an iPad In the gaming area, and the first thing they did was claim we cheated. We stood our ground and said we didn’t and check the cameras. They said they have to check and will bring the iPad to our room.”
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Instead of obliging, the family declined the instructions and said they could wait for a supervisor to be called. “[We] started video taping the machine as proof we won, [and it] took almost 2 hours for them to begrudgingly give us the iPad, but they did.”
A few responders to this incident were shocked by the cruise line’s reaction to the winnings, questioning the odds of actually winning onboard.
“Well that says a lot about the odds!” responded one person. “Yeah, hilarious. If you won - it's a malfunction,” replied another.
Finally, another woman explained how she had an issue while cruising on Norwegian Cruise Line. However, instead of getting angry, she states how she demanded to see the surveillance footage.
“I demanded to see the tape. When [they] did, it clearly showed I was right. They paid my money back and apologized. Humans make errors, instead of getting angry, you need to calmly figure it out. Anytime money is involved it gets emotional. Remember, 9 out of 10 complainers are just that, complainers,” commented the woman.
However, the woman explained her response stems from her PTSD, which leads to a flight or fight response. “I thought I was in a safe place. Suddenly I'm being interrogated. I froze. It took me a while but I recovered to the point that I thought about the cameras. Was that my responsibility or his?”
In addition, the woman argues, “I paid to be there, I have a right to complain if I am accosted by a crew member. A strange man yelling at a small older women is very different than your situation.”
Continuing, she questions, “Humans make errors? Does that mean anyone losing their [composure] while working in customer service is entitled to verbally abuse their customers - and is just an error? You may need to tone down your negative comments.
Support from other commenters
Many of the commenters expressed sympathy for the woman’s unfortunate incident during her cruise. Considering the severity of the accusation, especially during an expensive vacation, most commenters were supportive of the woman and her response.
One user responded, “I am so sorry that you were treated that way, and that there are jerks here that don’t understand how PTSD works, that something approximating the situation of prior trauma is traumatizing."
“You were being berated by a large and loud man and felt powerless and unsafe. You were there for a vacation, to have a good time, and after this incident were probably quite shaken. And you’re stuck on or going back to that cruise ship until the end of the cruise,” the responder continued.
“I hope someone from NCL responds appropriately to your complaint about this treatment,” replied another user on the thread. Similarly, another user commented, “You deserve a massive apology from NCL and possibly some kind of compensation. Second, the casino manager needs to be punished in some way.”
“Wow! I’m so sorry. Glad the cameras proved your innocence. But dang, for him not to apologize…that makes me mad for you,” empathized one commenter.
“You gotta make a stink about this one. That's ridiculous in every way. Sounds like your husband has a lot of restraint. I would be so upset if I had heard that some idiot was yelling at my wife and then didn't do a thing to rectify it once he realized he was in the wrong,” stated another user. The woman responded that her husband was not present during the original incident when she was accused of stealing, arguing that the casino manager would have likely behaved differently if the woman’s husband was present.
“I didn't think I would need a body guard in the the casino.”
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On the flip side, other commenters questioned the woman’s response to the incident and accusations. One user explained, “I feel like all this could have been settled the same night if you guys would have escalated the issue at guest services. That’s what I would have done. This is going to be tough now that you are off the ship. With no evidence.”
“Traumatized? Nightmares?” questioned another user. “Are you serious?” criticized another.
Regardless, many of the commenters expressed their sympathy for the woman for being wrongfully accused of stealing during her vacation. Her actions of escalating the incident and speaking with Guest Relations during the cruise were supported by most of the responders. Some even argued the woman deserves compensation for the incident, especially considering vacations are meant to be relaxing.
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on over 45 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
