BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- The Coast Guard has detained a popular gambling cruise ship for breaking some major rules and, inspectors say, putting passengers' lives at risk.

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The Coast Guard says they found a list of problems with a Sterling Casino Lines cruise ship. One of the biggest problems is the ship was actually tilting in the water.

One after another, gamblers were turned away at the parking lot, learning at the last minute their so called 'excursion to nowhere' really wasn't going anywhere. The coast guard detained the ship after a weeklong investigation into safety hazards aboard the Ambassador II.

Coast Guard investigators say they couldn't guarantee the safety of passengers after discovering all sorts of issues, including overloading the ship, fire hazards, insufficient safety training for the crew and problems with the hull of the ship

Coast Guard officers say they didn't want to ruin anyone's chances at winning the jackpot, but they weren't going to gamble with passenger safety.

Sterling Casino Lines wouldn't comment at all. The Coast Guard says they are cooperating, but investigators say the ship will have to stay tied up at the dock until all the issues have been fixed.