Century Casinos has partnered with cruise ship operator Diamond Cruise International to open a casino on board the Glory Sea vessel for its maiden voyage from Shanghai, China, to Shimonoseki, Japan.

Colorado Springs-based Century Casinos already operates bricks-and-mortar casinos in the towns of Cripple Creek and Central City, Colorado, as well as in the Canadian cities of Edmonton and Calgary while additionally running 13 ship-based gambling facilities onboard vessels owned by TUI Cruises, Thomson Cruises and Windstar Cruises.

The Colorado firm declared that the Glory Sea can accommodate over 1,200 customers and is now set to focus on the Chinese cruise market with four-day trips between China, South Korea and Japan. It explained that the vessel’s casino, which is due to cater to regular cruise passengers as well as VIP players provided by junket operators, features 40 slots as well as 16 gaming tables offering games including baccarat, blackjack, three-card poker, American roulette and sic-bo.

Century Casinos stated that Diamond Cruise International, which is a subsidiary of travel conglomerate Suzhou Taihu International Travel Agency, intends to acquire an additional three to four ships over the next five years in order to grow its market share in the fast-growing Chinese cruise market.

“We are excited to enter the Asian gaming market and to increase our position as the world-wide leader in operating casinos on cruise vessels through a long-term agreement with Diamond Cruise International,” read a statement from Erwin Haitzmann and Peter Hoetzinger, Co-Chief Executive Officers for Century Casinos. “This is a very cost-effective way for our company to gain a foothold in the lucrative Chinese market and certainly has the potential to grow our ship-based casino segment to a very meaningful size.”