LONG BEACH : Gambling Aboard Queen Mary May Go on Ballot

The Long Beach City Council is expected to let residents decide whether gambling should be allowed on the Queen Mary. The council, in an 8-1 vote, has directed the city attorney to draft an ordinance that would allow Long Beach voters to authorize a card casino on the historic ship.

Next week the City Council is expected to place the issue on the November ballot. A consultant has found that the Queen Mary would only make a profit if it were turned into an entertainment center featuring a high-grossing card casino.

The council members said they were not endorsing gambling on the ship, but want to explore the option if it will enable the city-owned tourist attraction to continue operating.

Councilman Thomas J. Clark cast the lone dissenting vote, saying he does not want to see gambling in Long Beach. The ship’s future is in limbo because its operator, the Walt Disney Co., will abandon the vessel at the end of the year. Disney has lost as much as $10.8 million a year since it began running the ship and related facilities in 1988.