Bermuda could see more small luxury cruise lines looking to call on the Island if a casino is built onshore, according to a cruise industry expert.

However, gambling could prove a turn-off for any cruise lines marketing to Europeans, who are not traditionally as keen as North Americans on casinos, claims the editor of industry title Cruise Critic Carolyn Spencer Brown.

"Where a casino could tip the choice to Bermuda would be with the upscale cruise lines which always have smaller ships," the editor of the international cruise review told The Royal Gazette.

She added that while the option of gambling onshore may help attract luxury cruise outfits to Bermuda, she does not believe a casino alone will convince passengers to choose Bermuda over another destination.

She added that mass market cruise lines will not be convinced to come to Bermuda simply because of a casino.

"So many destinations in the Caribbean and Bahamas, which are a bit of competition to Bermuda, already have onshore casinos St. Maarten, San Juan, Nassau," she said. "People aren't going to say, 'I'm going to Bermuda so I can gamble.

"They can gamble anywhere, including the US. And cruise lines marketing to Europeans probably wouldn't have as much luck."

Ms Spencer Brown spoke following recent controversy over the proposed Prohibition of Gaming Machines Amendment Act 2009, a gaming bill backed by Premier Ewart Brown.

If passed, it will allow cruise ships to operate their own casinos in port in Bermuda between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

She called the idea of allowing casinos to operate overnight in port "unique", saying that few destinations offer a similar option for cruise ship passengers while in port.

"Even in Asia, where the gambling ships are a big deal, they have to go out into the open water," she said.

She noted that Bermuda's reputation in the cruising industry is as a "sedate" destination, adding that offering onboard gambling overnight could help attract a younger crowd.

"Bermuda cruises attract an older audience, because it's so sedate," she said. "It'd be a different way to go. It'd be a nice addition. But I don't think someone is going to come to Bermuda because they can gamble."

Ms Spencer Brown called onboard gaming "a significant revenue generator for cruise lines, especially late at night".

Dr. Brown's gaming bill is expected to be put to a Parliamentary vote in coming weeks. Last week, the Chamber of Commerce threw its weight behind the bill, but with a caveat that it would support the concessions as long as they were "judiciously used to entice the desired smaller ships back into the City of Hamilton and Town of St. George's".

In March Dr. Brown had to withdraw the bill as it faced potential defeat, with rebel Progressive Labour Party MPs ready to join the Opposition in a conscience vote.

The Government commissioned a feasibility study on gaming last October, hiring consultancy firm the Innovation Group to look into the possibility of a casino on the Island.

The idea has since received support from hoteliers but been criticised by church groups, opposing gambling on moral and religious grounds.