The owner of Netto II may be an American gaming tycoon, but with his latest superyacht, he played no games. A serious work of maritime prowess, the 262-foot Amels recently turned heads off the coast of Andratx before making her way to Tarragona. After turning heads in the Balearic Islands, Netto II has docked at the busy Moll de Lleida in Tarragona, while flaunting her own unique shade of dolphin-blue, a commonality with her predecessor.
Tarragona is no stranger to splendid superyachts. In fact, it is the destination for some of the world’s most advanced vessels. Port Tarraco, the specialized marina, recorded an operational occupancy rate of 97.4 percent at the end of October, reported DiarideTerragona.
Netto II is a befitting addition in this assemblage of larger-than-life pleasure crafts with its $200 million price tag. The superyacht was commissioned with crystal clear intent, akin to the waters she currently sails on. The owner, American casino investor M. Brent Stevens, wished for a luxury vessel for his adventurous young family to enjoy ocean exploration, free-diving, spearfishing, and scuba diving, which explains many of the additions seen across the vessel. Let us take a closer look at what makes Netto II such a head-turner even on a port where ultra-luxury ships are a regular sight.
Netto II, novel as they come-
Netto II was a departure from the usual for the serial yacht owner. It helped her billionaire owner move on from an active 35-meter American sportfisher called Netto to this 262-foot Dutch semi-custom flagship by Amels. What this latest yacht deliberately took from the earlier Nordlund Netto was the dolphin-blue paint and metallic blue-tinted glass. It takes all the sportfishing fun and adds a beach club, helipad, spa, toys, and hybrid capability. The 2,197 GT yacht bears a resemblance to Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie’s Kaos, while offering accommodation for 14 guests across seven cabins. Amels conceived the 80 as a semi-custom platform, leaving plenty of room for personal touches, including an owner-specific speakeasy bar with a distinctly 1960s casino vibe.
In addition, the entire yacht is equipped with a centralized high-end AV system capable of distributing 4K HDR video throughout the vessel, together with integrated lighting scenes, blinds, curtains, and steward-call systems. The ship features exterior design by Espen Øino and flaunts interiors by Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design. Netto II has a foredeck playing a double role as a landing pad that appears to convert into a sports court.
Other luxe additions include an oversized Jacuzzi and a 517-square-meter owner’s deck along with a wellness area featuring a gym, hammam, and sauna. For a man who was a swimmer, his ship celebrates his history with a 21-foot glass-bottomed pool on the main deck aft. Indeed, Netto II offers comfort on every level with floating floors, dedicated insulation, damping materials, and careful engineering of the steel and aluminum structure to prevent noise and vibration paths.
The man who went from a swimming scholarship to a 262-foot superyacht
YachtAhoy lists billionaire M. Brent Stevens as the owner of both the 80-meter Netto II and the 35-meter Netto under his fleet. It is hard to believe the vessel belongs to the same boy who depended on a swimming scholarship to make college possible and lived with three siblings and a single hardworking mother under one roof. Education became the foundation for success with an accounting degree from USC and an MBA from Wharton.
It was not without difficulties. His early career included coffee runs and sleeping under desks, which must make the massive 517-square-meter owner’s deck seem like life has come full circle.
His route to the casino business was hardly straightforward. Stevens began at KPMG before joining Drexel Burnham Lambert, where in February 1990 he worked for 48 hours straight on a deal only to be unexpectedly told to go home. Returning to the Beverly Hills office at 5:30 the following morning, he learned that the Wall Street powerhouse was facing the liquidity crisis that would bring it down. Stevens subsequently joined Jefferies, eventually rising to executive vice president and head of capital markets. By 1999, his company had acquired the Diamond Jo, a three-level Mississippi River casino fashioned after a nineteenth-century paddlewheel riverboat, for $77 million. It became the foundation of a gaming empire that would eventually be sold to Boyd Gaming for approximately $1.45 billion.
Today, Stevens continues his legacy in the gaming industry through his company Peninsula Pacific Entertainment. While he sold the bulk of his casino assets to Churchill Downs in 2022 for $2.75 billion, he currently owns the New Hampshire Group, which operates properties like the Wonder Casino, Dover Poker Room, and Filotimo Casino.
