Hong Kong’s gambling industry is tightly regulated, with horse racing dominating the scene as a billion-dollar business under the control of the Jockey Club. However, some casino cruise ships bypass strict regulations by sailing 20 kilometers into international waters, where the ship’s flag determines the laws.
These floating casinos have a notorious reputation, with rumors of connections to triads and illicit activities. The sense of lawlessness in international waters adds an air of adventure, making this experience vastly different from the bright lights of Macau’s regulated casinos. To uncover the reality behind the rumors, I decided to spend a night aboard one of these ships.
Boarding the Rex Fortune
On a foggy April evening, a diverse group of passengers stepped onto the Rex Fortune, a 600-passenger cruise ship. Most spoke Cantonese and were Hong Kong residents, while about a third were from mainland China. The crowd was mainly older men and women dressed in colorful tops and stylish blazers, along with a few young women in shimmering denim outfits.
The ship’s interior was a gaudy wonderland, with gray marble, golden upholstery, and bright carpets. Paintings of the ship’s various amenities adorned the walls: a casino, a nightclub with karaoke, a bar, a massage parlor, a mahjong room, a slot machine hall, and even a gym. As the passengers waited for immigration officers to check their documents, Bee Gees’ songs played softly in the background. A staff member collected identification documents, which would be held until disembarkation.
In the dining hall, a band performed an old Asian favorite, “Tennessee Waltz,” while guests settled in for dinner. The ship felt more like an extravagant floating retirement home than a den of vice. The lower deck housed the massage parlor and barbershop, featuring teal-colored walls and chandeliers reminiscent of a Florida resort. Around 8:30 PM, the ship left Victoria Harbour, sailing into the pitch-black international waters. The fog swallowed the neon lights of Hong Kong, leaving only the sound of the waves.
The Silent Voyage
For a ship capable of holding 600 passengers and 200 crew members, it was eerily quiet. Only about a hundred guests were on board, mostly gathered in the dining hall, eating fried noodles, rice, steamed vegetables, samosas, jelly, and small cakes. Tea flowed freely, while alcohol was available at an extra charge. Others wandered the decks, taking selfies.
“Look, I’m in the middle of the ocean!” exclaimed a young woman participating in a video call on the upper deck.
Bars and karaoke rooms remained nearly empty throughout the night, a stark contrast to Western cruise ships where revelry continues nonstop. In Hong Kong, gambling is taken seriously.
Into International Waters
At 9:30 PM, an announcement in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English declared the casino open. At the same time, phone signals disappeared—a sign we had entered open waters. A stray GPS signal placed the ship somewhere between Hong Kong Island and Dangan Island, the last landmass separating Hong Kong from the open ocean.
Excitement stirred in the casino as around 80 passengers gathered around a dozen tables. While the scale was far from that of Macau, serious money was in play. Elderly gamblers carefully stacked chips worth up to HK$1 million (US$130,000). Most played baccarat, some chose blackjack, and a single craps table attracted newcomers. The minimum buy-in at standard tables was HK$100 (US$13), but these remained largely empty. Instead, high-stakes tables, with minimum bets of HK$500, drew a crowd of players and onlookers.
These ships operate 24/7. “From Sunday to Thursday, most customers are from mainland China, while weekends attract more Hong Kongers,” explained a massage therapist from Chongqing, charging HK$100 for a 45-minute session. Despite the ship’s emptiness, she noted this was a busier night than usual.
A Sinking Industry
A few years ago, investing in a casino cruise ship might have seemed lucrative. However, China’s tightening anti-corruption measures and economic instability have made the industry less appealing. When Macau was overflowing with high-stakes gamblers, many sought cheaper alternatives on ships, where entry cost just HK$150. At its peak, over ten ships operated from Hong Kong, ferrying gamblers into international waters each night.
Now, only four such “voyages to nowhere” remain. One abandoned ship sits in Hong Kong’s port, left by its owner, who failed to pay staff wages. Employees pleaded with the government to seize and auction the vessel to settle their overdue salaries. Our ship was docked next to this ghostly relic before departure.
Rex Fortune is faring better than its abandoned counterpart. Over nine months, it hosted 21,500 passengers and generated HK$16.6 million in revenue, according to the annual report from Rex Global, the company that owns the ship. However, Rex Global and co-owner Norvest Global have a long road ahead to recover their investment. They purchased the vessel in 2014 for HK$93 million from Success Universe, according to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
The first casino cruise ship in Hong Kong, the Oriental Princess, debuted in 1988. Owned by Macau gambling tycoon Yip Hon, it was a converted cargo vessel. Since then, numerous ships have come and gone, their fate tied to economic shifts and changing regulations.
For years, these floating casinos served as discreet meeting spots for Communist Party officials and business elites to exchange bribes. Even infamous tycoon Wang Guangyu was arrested in 2009 for laundering money through casino cruises. Triad groups have also used these ships to conduct illicit deals, often leveraging casino chips for money laundering.
Vanishing Acts
The karaoke lounge held only two young men. “I’ve been here a few times,” said one, introducing himself as Mr. Ho. “People on the street hand out flyers, so we just end up here. But we don’t gamble much. It’s taken very seriously.”
“And there’s nothing else to do except gambling and karaoke,” added his friend, Mr. Ip.
Surprisingly, most young passengers had disappeared. The denim-clad women who had boarded earlier were nowhere to be seen.
A bored waitress leaned against the bar, staring at her phone’s blue-lit screen. When asked where the younger guests had gone, she simply replied, “I don’t know. Maybe they’re in their rooms.”
By 4 AM, the karaoke lounge was empty. Weary passengers retreated to their cabins, and by 8 AM, the ship docked quietly in Hong Kong.
Even in daylight, it was clear how easily such ships could be used for questionable activities. Passengers came and went unnoticed. At disembarkation, only a ticket was required to reclaim one’s identification. If all transactions were made in cash, no record of one’s presence on the ship remained.
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