THIS is the eerie tale of an abandoned cruise ship whose owner was murdered by mafia-style thugs after he turned the boat into a gambling hub.
The once luxurious Blue Horizon was kitted out with full-blown casinos and took wealthy passengers into international waters so that they could gamble without the restriction of Florida laws.
Incredible images show the inside of the vessel with poker chips still lying intact across the tables.
One picture shows the casino machines in extremely good condition as if the slots were played yesterday.
Another one shows an empty bar where once gambling millionaires sat and boasted about their wagers out loud.
Some of the gambling games are still set up and ready to play.
The cruise ship now sits abandoned in port in Florida, USA.
Konstantinos “Gus” Boulis, the millionaire owner of Blue Horizoin was once invited to a Las Vegas-style gambling ship for a party.
This experience inspired him to purchase the “Sir Winston” for $2 million only a few days later, a 100-foot cruise ship that he rapidly converted into a casino ship.
It gave him his start in the gambling cruise industry as he went on to create “Cruises to Nowhere” which took people just three minutes outside of Florida to international waters where gambling restrictions did not apply.
Boulis became one of the biggest names in gambling cruise ships and his profits made him a very wealthy man.
However, local governors and activists were not happy with his cruise ships turned gambling boat operations – and he ended up in court.
Urban explorer Leland Kent, who took exclusive pictures of the now abandoned Blue Horizon, said: “Boulis founded the SunCruz Casinos boat company in 1994 in Key Largo.
“He bought luxury yachts and turned them into casino boats and began to operate his cruises to nowhere, sailing three miles from the Florida coast into what was then considered international waters where Florida gambling laws were not applicable.”
Passengers would gamble on poker, blackjack, and slot machines.
And Boulis soon expanded his fleet of 11 ships and began calling it SunCruz Casino line.
“Boulis’ largest and most profitable gambling boat was docked on the Intracoastal Waterway in Hollywood, Florida, where he had the support of Mayor Mara Giulianti,” Kent added.
“However, Hollywood community beach activists, led by City Commissioner John F. Coleman, strongly opposed the gambling boat operation.
“Ken Jenne, the local sheriff, worked repeatedly with Attorney General Bob Butterworth to stop the company’s operations.”
In 1998, three SunCruz ships were shut down, and armed cops seized over 300 gambling machines, ship equipment and nearly $630,000 in cash,
Boulis fought in court and won because there was no probable cause for the State Attorney General’s Office to seize the equipment and money.
However, his flourishing business drew opposition from other Florida government officials at the federal level.
In February 2000, Boulis settled with Federal authorities by agreeing to sell his interest in the SunCruz business within three years and pay a $500,000 fine.
According to the Broward Palm Beach New Times, Gus Boulis had also registered his casino boat under his former girlfriend’s name, Margaret Hren, to hide his ownership.
Boulis sold off parts of his business and joined in partnership with three men.
But the partnership soon turned sour – and Boulis was shot in a mafia-style drive-by attack believed to be arranged by his partners.
Kent said: “In February 2001, five months after Boulis sold SunCruz, he was shot in his car in a Mafia-style attack in Fort Lauderdale. Boulis’ car crashed on U.S. 1 south of SE 17th Street Causeway.
“He was taken to Broward General Medical Center where he later died. Police say the shooting was set up by killers in two separate cars, one of which brought Boulis to a stop while the driver of the other car did the shooting.”
After Boulis’ death, SunCruz Casinos filed for bankruptcy.
The maritime company had three ships left: Jacksonville (SunCruz VII), Myrtle Beach (SunCruz VIII), and Port Canaveral (SunCruz XII).
The SunCruz VII became a Savannah gambling ship, the Diamond Royale, but was later sold at auction for $100,000 to a man looking for a houseboat.
The boat was later stripped and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean to create an artificial reef.
The SunCruz VIII became the New York City excursion boat Hornblower Infinity.
Lastly, the SunCruz XII is still in Port Canaveral, where she is sailing as the gambling ship Victory I.
