Cruise Passenger Allegedly Jumps Overboard to Avoid Gambling Debt

^{Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas, where a cruise passenger allegedly jumped overboard after incurring significant gambling debt. (Photo:  Martin Berry / Alamy)}

A Royal Caribbean International cruise passenger was arrested by Customs and Border Protection authorities after allegedly jumping off the ship to avoid paying debts he incurred while gambling at sea. 

Jey Xander Omar Gonzalez-Diaz was arrested on Sunday after jumping off the Rhapsody of the Seas after it docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

Passenger Charged with Failing to Report Cash

After jumping, passersby rescued Gonzalez-Diaz and brought him back to shore with jet skis. There, officers with Customs and Border Protection found him with $14,600 in cash in his possession. According to the complaint filed by Homeland Security Investigations special agent Gabriel Santiago, Gonzalez-Diaz told investigators in Spanish that “he did not want to report the currency in his possession because he thought he was going to be taxed duties for bringing in the currency.” 

Gonzalez-Diaz is charged with failing to report transporting more $10,000 in monetary instruments into the United States. The complaint doesn’t explicitly link the cash found on him to his gambling debts.  However, federal prosecutors allege that he ran up about $16,000 in gambling losses while on the cruise ship. In total, the complaint outlined $16,710.24 in debts to Royal Caribbean, funds that were “almost exclusively associated with Casino and Gaming expenses.”

Attorneys for Gonzalez-Diaz have not responded to media requests for comment, while Royal Caribbean Group has made no public statements regarding the incident.

“As this is an ongoing investigation, we are working with authorities and don’t have any more information to share,” Royal Caribbean Group said in a statement to USA Today.

Cruise Ship Casinos: Popular but Controversial

Gambling at sea has become an increasingly lucrative business for cruise ship companies. In July, Carnival Cruises became the first cruise firm to join the American Gaming Association, extending the reach of the industry group. 

But cruise ship gambling hasn’t been without its share of controversy. In November 2024, a class action lawsuit was filed against Carnival Corporation based on what lawyers described as predatory gambling practices on some of their ships, particularly on ships operating under the P&O Cruises Australia brand. 

On May 6, 2024, 45-year-old Shane Dixon fell overboard to his death from a P&O ship after accumulating $9,000 in casino debt during his cruise. According to the Daily Mail, other passengers on the same cruise claimed they were told self-exclusion wasn’t available on the ships. Some others said they were detained onboard when unable to settle their gaming bills.

“Not only were these actions arguably unconscionable," said Peter Carter of Carter Capner Law, the firm behind the class action lawsuit, "but the practice of preventing passengers and their families from leaving the ship and interrogating them at the Australian port of disembarkation, even for short periods, about how and when the casino debt will be paid is against the law,”