Robert Weisburg describes how he and his management team bailed out a sinking ship and steered it toward calmer waters.

When Robert Weisburg and his investor group bought Sun Cruz Casinos in 2004, he had a world of work ahead of him. The Dania, Fla.-based offshore gaming company had been swimming in bankruptcy and negative press for nearly three and a half years—employees were disillusioned, investors were exasperated, and the public began to wonder if they could trust the Sun Cruz name.

Weisburg, CEO; Spiro Naos, COO; and Greg Karen, executive VP, started the healing process by giving the company’s fleet of seven ships much needed attention. For two years, the ships took turns in dry dock getting a bow-to-stern makeover. Simultaneously, he began carefully mending damaged relationships with vendors, business partners, and most importantly, employees.

Now on solid ground, Sun Cruz offered its employees improved benefit packages and something they hadn’t felt in quite some time: job security. “Stabilizing the company financially promoted our credibility and gave our employees a sense of comfort,” said Weisburg, who initiated a series of internal promotions to send the message that a job a Sun Cruz could likely turn into a successful career. As a result, the company’s employee base has grown to more than 1,200 in the past four years.

Robert Weisburg, CEO

Putting the past behind
With refurbished ships and a revitalized work force, Sun Cruz was ready to present itself to the public. Weisburg and his management team hired Gold and Company, a national advertising firm based in Jacksonville, Fla., to head the campaign. “For three and a half years, the only message people heard was that Sun Cruz was in trouble. We needed to shout from the mountain tops that we were no longer in bankruptcy,” said Weisburg. Over the past year and a half, Sun Cruz has disseminated its message through television, radio, and print advertising.

The CEO pondered ridding the company of the Sun Cruz name, but market research revealed that Sun Cruz is one of the most recognized brands in the Southeast. In addition, Weisburg learned that customers care more about quality service, high safety standards, and fun games than the company’s history. “So we kept the name and it has been a blessing,” he said.

Consumer response has been overwhelming. Sun Cruz recently opened a new port in Palm Beach, and cruises have been selling out day and night for two months. The new boat sailing out of Tampa has seen a similar turnout.

Today, Sun Cruz Casinos is the world’s largest offshore gaming company in the world, serving more than 1 million passengers per year. But, Weisburg said the company’s first priority is not gaming. “Our primary responsibility is the safety of those 1 million passengers in partnership with the Coast Guard and Homeland Security. We have a large food and beverage business, an entertainment division, and a transportation company with 40 buses throughout the Southeast that pick up and drop off our passengers. And—by the way—we run a casino.”

As part of its post-bankruptcy revitalization efforts, Sun Cruz is rolling out electronic Vegas-style games and has developed Boom-Boom Bingo to keep guests entertained during the trip back to port. “We go three miles offshore into international waters, which takes between a half hour to an hour. By surveying our customers, we learned they wanted more to do than just eat during that time,” said Weisburg.

According to Gary Inks, director of marketing for Sun Cruz, Boom-Boom Bingo is introduced with salsa music, at which time all guests receive a scratch-off bingo card. Daily winners walk away with a $25 or $50 prize, which they cash in on another cruise.

Boom-Boom Bingo winners are also entered into a monthly drawing for a chance to win between $500 and $2,500. Approximately 40 weekly winners are entered into an annual drawing each December, and the grand-prize winner has a choice between $50,000 in cash, a new Mercedes or Corvette, a sailing boat, or a designer motorcycle.

Viva Las Vegas
To further engage its customer base, Sun Cruz Casinos has recently developed the World Offshore Poker Tournament and the World Offshore Slots Tournament. Preliminary rounds for the third annual slots tournament started on April 1, and Weisburg expects thousands to participate. Sixty finalists will compete for a grand prize of $35,000 in cash on the ship in Port Canaveral in May.

Proceeds from the World Offshore Slots Tournament will be donated to the Kennedy Space Center Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.

Participants will have their pictures taken with the space shuttle and an Elvis impersonator dressed in a space suit, which coincides with the company’s “Viva Las Vegas” brand campaign. “We are using images of Elvis in a comedic parody on our print materials and are holding Elvis look-a-like contests on our ships. We’ve had a ball with it. Every time we have a special event, Elvis will be there,” said Inks.

Last year, Sun Cruz partnered with Simon Malls to launch the World Offshore Poker Tournament. “Simon Malls are everywhere our ships are, so they have put our marketing materials and signage in their food courts, and our buses stop at all malls in close proximity to one of our ships,” said Inks. Sun Cruz hosted learn-to-play poker games at Simon Malls, and Weisburg estimates more than 3,000 people participated. The grand prize winner walked away with $50,000. In total, the company gave away more than $150 million in cash and prizes.

As an added bonus, Comcast SportsNet, SunNet, and the Travel Channel broadcast the final poker game of the tournament as well as the moment Sun Cruz presented the Simon Youth Foundation with a hefty check. According to Inks, the program has been airing on Comcast Sports Net and SunNet since March and will continue through May. “Hundreds of thousands of people are seeing the World Offshore Poker Tournament, which means we are accomplishing our goal of getting the Sun Cruz name out there in a positive light,” Weisburg concluded.