30-second summary

• Largest yacht in the world is in the works, will cost over $775m (￡607m)
• Previous record holder is a 590-foot yacht that cost $400m (￡313m)
• It will have a casino on board

Details of this yacht casino

For many years, casinos were built on boats so they could avoid laws forbidding gambling. These boats would take passengers into international waters where they could legally gamble.

Now there are plans for a massive 750-foot yacht casino that would cost in the region of $775m. With all of the extra amenities, it could cost more than $1bn (￡780m) before it is completed. Plans are being drawn up for this yacht, which will be longer than two football fields. The record size?for any type of yacht is the Azzam, which is 590 feet long and cost about $400m.

What will the experience be like?

No buyer for the new mega-yacht casino has been identified. The project is called Project Valkyrie and a marine shipbuilder in Monaco, Palmer Johnson, is sponsoring it. It is said that several parties have an interest in this project, but no definite buyer has yet been found.

It is likely that the eventual buyer will be a big gambler or a major name in the industry. The eventual owner could target wealthy passengers and have the casino as just one of its many draws. There may be a demand for a smaller-scale cruise which focuses more on the extravagant side of things.

The yacht would be the ideal host for private high-stakes games since it could sail in international waters and players could come and go at their own discretion. While some yachts have poker tables on board, nothing would rival this project if it comes to fruition.

Some of the other facilities include theatres, meeting rooms, restaurants, art galleries and the likes. The yacht would have space for 52 guests in a total of 26 cabins and the 92 crew members would occupy 46 cabins.

Issues with on sea gambling

The designer of this new mega yacht is 36-year-old Chulhun Park. He first created his vision for Project Valkyrie when he was doing his thesis for his course in the Royal College of Art in London.

He has worked on other similar projects in the past, but obviously not at this scale. He says: “When I decided to be a yacht designer, I realized that most yachts are white colored and stacked up like wedding cakes. Therefore, I was determined to design a very unique looking yacht which would stand out of the fleet. I tried to manipulate the structure’s surface skin and create non-rectilinear shapes which appear to distort and dislocate elements of shape.”

One of the key considerations for gaming performance will be ensuring that that dice rolls will not be affected by pitching and rolling over waves. There will also need to be a significant security presence due to the large sums of cash that will be on board.

Legal issues

The eventual owner will have to consider a multitude of legal issues?before opening for business. The laws will be complex, depending on what seas the yacht is entering.

It would have to be at least 3 nautical miles from the coastline to be exempt from US gambling state laws. The only exceptions are in the Gulf Coast in Florida and in Texas, where the requirement is 9 nautical miles.

For other nations where gambling is not legal, it will have to be more than 12 nautical miles from the coastline. The ship will also have to be registered in a country where gambling is legal.