They may be smaller than the ones in Las Vegas, but cruise ship casinos mirror what’s found on land in terms of rules and the training required for dealers. Cruise lines make sure they’re offering the latest and most popular slots and table games, including penny video slots and the ever popular blackjack. Here’s what you need to know to improve your odds, at least of having fun:

The cruise ship usually shuts the casino while the ship is docked, as they must comply with local gambling rules. When it comes to the United Kingdom, things are way easier. If the ship is on a journey from or into international waters, then no licenses are required at all, and you can continue gambling normally in UK waters. Here you'll get to Design and Upgrade your own ship by playing Slot Games! Slots Journey - Cruise & Casino is already full of Features: - Play Amazing 777 Slot Machines! Quite a few Classic Slot Games are already here with many more on their way. Manage and Upgrade your Cruise Ship! Ever wanted to go on a cruise across the seas? As cruise director, my primarily responsibility was seeing to the happiness of 6,322 passengers and 2,200-plus crew. Over the course of a week, I had my hands in every department, from ship. We’re always adding new and exciting slot machines to our Carnival casinos. From thrilling slot tournaments with big payouts to penny slots — and everything in between — we invite you to go for a spin at sea. Here’s an example of machines you may find aboard our ships: Wheel of Fortune 3D Slot Machines.

Featuring over 4,800 slot machines, Casinos At Sea have games that appeal to every player! Our gaming floors offer a mix of reel, video slot machines and video poker. Looking for something new? Try our unique casino games where a bit of skill is required to win cash and prizes.

1. Casinos close while in port.

If you plan to spend a lot of time in the ship’s casino, choose an itinerary with a lot of sea days. With a few exceptions — including overnight in Bermuda and Nassau ports — cruise ship casinos are required to remain closed when the ship is in port so as not to compete with local gambling or entertainment businesses. In Bermuda, casinos on ships can operate from 9 pm to 5 am, and in Nassau, from 7 pm to 3 am.

2. Ship casinos are open in international waters.

Photo by SIME / eStockPhoto

Casinos are typically only open 3 to 12 nautical miles from the coast. However, in the case of Alaska, cruise ship casinos are permitted to open 3 miles after departing from one Alaska port until 3 miles before arriving in the next Alaska port, regardless of proximity to land. That’s good for gamblers, as cruises in southeast Alaska tend to hug the coastline.

3. Smoking is part of the game.

Though there are fewer places to smoke on cruise ships than ever before, casinos are one of the last holdouts. Most cruise ship casinos, with the exception of the luxury lines, have designated smoking areas for cigarette smokers; however, cigar lovers are rarely permitted to light up.

4. Card sharks are a rare species at sea.

Photo by SIME / eStockPhoto

Professional gamblers tend to focus their energies on the land-based casinos that are open around the clock, without the distractions of a cruise — from buffets to deck parties and those pesky ports of call. Plus, according to Paul Jarvis, vice president of casino operations for Carnival Corp., card sharks seek anonymity, and passengers need to provide the cruise line with their passport details before boarding.

5. Gambling theme cruises offer real competition for top players.

If you really want to double down on your gaming ops at sea, some cruise lines — including Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line — host blackjack, slots, and poker tournaments that attract hundreds of gaming enthusiasts. Qualifying rounds are held on cruises throughout the year, with the final competition taking place toward the end of the year.

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It’s official: The cruise ship ordering boom is on hold — perhaps for some time.

Citing the ongoing impact of the coronavirus crisis, the leaders of the world’s four big cruise companies on Tuesday said they had no plans to order new vessels anytime soon.

“I don’t think anybody should be concerned about (orders for) new ships being placed,” MSC Cruises executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said at the keynote opening session of Seatrade Cruise Virtual, an online version of the cruise industry’s annual meetup. “We have enough already on order that must be delivered.”

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Vago noted that MSC Cruises already had 11 vessels on order for delivery. The company announced a trio of shipyard deals for six new ships in January, just weeks before the cruise industry began shutting down due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Vago’s comments came just moments after Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings president and CEO Frank Del Rio suggested the company wouldn’t be ordering new ships until 2022 at the earliest. The company already has nine vessels on order for its three brands: Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

“I think I’ll take delivery of at least one vessel for those brands before I start thinking about additional orders,” Del Rio said.

Related: The best credit cards for booking cruises

None of the nine vessels that the three Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings brands have on order are due for delivery until 2022.

Royal Caribbean Group chairman and CEO Richard Fain and Carnival Corporation president and CEO Arnold Donald also suggested they wouldn’t be ordering vessels for some time.

Royal Caribbean Group is the parent company of Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea. Carnival Corporation is the parent company of Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America, Seabourn and five overseas brands.

More Seatrade news: Cruise executives sound off on a U.S. cruise comeback

Cruise ships can take years to build, forcing cruise executives to forecast demand far in the future when ordering vessels. In the past few years, with the future of cruising looking bright, there was a frenzy of orders such as the one placed in January by MSC Cruises.

Now some of those ships may not be needed — at least in the near term.

Still, Fain noted that none of the cruise companies had canceled any of the orders — a sign they see demand for cruises rebounding relatively quickly after the COVID crisis has passed.

Fain noted that COVID-related disruptions at shipyards and their suppliers would result in delivery delays for vessels already on order, leaving less need for lines to order now for far-off years.

More Seatrade news: One cruise line says it may never bring back the buffet

“I think it’s a little early for us to start speculating on what happens (with orders) given the ships that we have on order are already going to take longer to deliver,” he said.

Longer-term, Fain made clear that he expected demand for cruising to grow strongly, resulting in a need for more ships.

“This is not (a situation where) the industry is going to tail off,” Fain said. “I think what you’re going to see is the industry will continue to grow. Once we’re past this crisis, people will see the value of cruising.”

Donald said something similar, noting that only 30 million people in the world take a cruise each year — a small fraction of the 500 million people he said took some sort of vacation annually.

More Seatrade news: This new shore excursion may be the most offbeat ever

“There are plenty of new ships on order, but to be honest with you, they are going to be needed,” Donald said. “There will be demand. There will be need for capacity. Shipbuilding will stay robust in terms of bringing new ships into the global fleets.”

In one more little tidbit of news that came out of the discussion, Del Rio suggested that the next ship order from his company would be for the Regent brand. He noted the company only had one vessel on order for the brand, a sister ship to the recently unveiled Seven Seas Splendor that’s due in 2023.

There currently are six ships on order for the Norwegian brand for delivery between 2022 and 2027. There are two vessels on order for the Oceania brand for delivery in 2022 and 2025.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

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Featured image courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line

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SPONSORED: With states reopening, enjoying a meal from a restaurant no longer just means curbside pickup.

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And when you do spend on dining, you should use a credit card that will maximize your rewards and potentially even score special discounts. Thanks to temporary card bonuses and changes due to coronavirus, you may even be able to score a meal at your favorite restaurant for free.

These are the best credit cards for dining out, taking out, and ordering in to maximize every meal purchase.

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Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.