BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- For the first time, a third gambling boat will set sail from Port Canaveral.

Starting in April, the 900-passenger Liquid Vegas will offer games such as baccarat and blackjack as well as 500 slot machines operated with "smart cards" and numerous flat-screen televisions tuned to sporting events, Local 6 News partner Florida Today reported.

The company behind the ship, Las Vegas Casino Lines, said it will run charters for Orlando conventioneers but also will cater to daytime customers and, with members of the local service industry in mind, offer a 1:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. cruise on Fridays and Saturdays.

The local focus is the 250 new jobs the ship will create, said Larry Mullin, president and chief executive officer of Las Vegas Casino Lines.

"This company is 100 percent local," Mullin said. "We're hiring local people for every job we have, from crew and staff to workers who service the ship."

Mullin, the former director of marketing with Sterling Casino Lines, has partnered with Space Coast entrepreneurs Rick Stottler and Giles Malone in the venture. Stottler is president of Stottler Stagg and Associates and Malone is president and CEO of the Cocoa Beach Pier and the Cocoa Expo Center.

The ship will be based at Cruise Terminal 4, adjacent to Jetty Park. Of the terminal's 31,000 square feet, 14,000 will be used for a range of events. The location also will allow conventions and other groups to have outdoor, tented dinners and parties.

"We're trying to offer something different," Mullin said. "We want to serve our residents and also get more of the tourism tax money so we can keep promoting the Space Coast. We need to have the chance to do more work with Orlando and Orange County."

Rob Varley, executive director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism, said the casino "will be a great addition to our entertainment portfolio here in Brevard.

"These are local tourism guys who have experience and the willingness to try something new to boost the economy."

The Liquid Vegas is a 1985 Spanish-built ship previously used for gaming in South Florida. Las Vegas Casino Lines acquired the ship in October, after which it underwent extensive renovations in Jacksonville.

The company will offer four-hour cruises out of Port Canaveral, competing with Port Canaveral-based gaming ships operated by SunCruz Casinos and Sterling Casino Lines.

Those ships, the 1,200-passenger SunCruz XII and 1,744-passenger Sterling's Ambassador, offer five-hour cruises.

Las Vegas Casino Lines owners said they offer four-hour trips to allow passengers to get out to sea faster and avoid the traffic jams with customers going to the other ships.

The ship can be chartered to accommodate as many as 800 people, Mullin said.

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