Landings and Takeoffs
Home About Travel Tips Sightseeing Food & Drink Night Life Archives Resources

Casino Takes To The Skies

For a long time, casinos have been incorporated into luxury cruise ships but not on commercial airplanes but plans are in development to change that by incorporating a similar kind of casino experience that you would expect to get on a cruise ship.  It makes sense to have casinos on planes too as both ships and planes are subject to international maritime law (this is one of the reasons why casinos on cruise ships are so successful). Now planes may not have the same space as a cruise ship has to fit in an entire casino, it is possible to incorporate some of the most popular facilities a casino has to offer and this is the concept being developed by Jean-Pierre Alfano (Airjet Designs) and Frédérique Houssard (Designescence) is. Their concept is for a “Casino Jet Lounge” that is based upon a luxury bar with trendy seating and a blackjack table inspired by the glamor of the 50s and 60s specifically the kind you would see in the James Bond movies of that era.

Commercial Aircraft

A brief history of gambling in the air

In-flight gambling was originally tried by Singapore Airlines back in 1981 who installed slot machines on a flight between Singapore and San Francisco. The slot machines were lightweight to reduce the impact of extra weight on the airplane itself and the trial ran for only two months before being removed as Singapore Airlines stated they posed an “operational challenge”. The concept on in-flight gambling was trialed again in the 90s by Swissair. They installed gambling software that included classic casino games such as blackjack, poker and keno. Players could bet up to $350 on these games. Thing were looking good until one of their planes crashed in 1998 and the investigators implicated the in-flight entertainment system as the reason for the crash. Things didn’t stop there however as in 2005 Richard Branson (Virgin Atlantic Airways) stated that some of the A380 planes that he had recently purchased would be outfitted with in-flight casinos and double beds. However, the idea never seemed to take off and in fact more recently a spokesperson for Virgin has stated that they did not develop the idea any further.

Poker hand AK

Where are we now

Casinos on planes may still be a way off yet but there are plenty of ways to get the casino experience. Some airlines like British Airways already offer play for fun poker, roulette and blackjack as a part of its in-flight entertainment. However, with internet access and WIFI available as standard on most planes perhaps the best way for most people to get that casino experience is to have access to casinos online. There are many options, including bitcoin casinos which can offer tailored rewards as well as invitations to prestigious events and exclusive destinations such as BitCasino VIP for those who want something special on that long flight.

In the air and online

Casinos on planes could be that next step in luxury flights bridging the gap between personal jets and flying first class. It may even be possible that the onboard casino would be opened up to all passengers giving them the opportunity to relax, have a drink, play a game or two or just simply be able to stretch their legs a bit on a long flight. In the meantime, current advances in iGaming and online casinos whit great bonuses have you covered on your flight all you need is an WIFI enable device.

Categories: Fun Stuff, Gambling, Las Vegas, Lifestyle, Lists