Business Notes GAMBLING

For passengers, boarding Le Mistral II in Port Isabel, Texas, the only luggage needed is their bankroll. Le Mistral embarks on four-to-six-hour cruises into the Gulf of Mexico, where the ship eludes the Texas ban on casino gambling. When the vessel enters international waters, the crew opens the ship's gaming tables and slot machines. Since its maiden voyage in November, it has been attracting 250 to 300 customers a trip.

While Florida-based ships offer similar trips to nowhere, Le Mistral is the first in Texas. One reason is that it cruises through a loophole in state law that requires the ship to make a "bona fide voyage to a foreign port," an obligation Le Mistral fulfills by sailing to a point off Mexico and clearing customs by radio. But the Texas legislature is considering striking the foreign-port requirement, thus making such cruises more practical from Galveston and other Texas ports.