Louisiana Floating Casino To Be Relocated to Land
Suburban New Orlean’s Treasure Chest Casino, which has been operating as a floating venue for about 30 years, will be relocated to a $100m land site. The officials broke ground on Tuesday, and the new facility, which will replace the current riverboat, is expected to start operating in 2024.
The existing riverboat casino is expected to remain open during construction, and there is information about what a new facility will include. The casino will have a 47,000-square-foot gambling hall and 10,000-square-foot of convention space, as well as new bars, restaurants, and a FanDuel Sportsbook.
As in 2018, a state law was changed, floating casinos are allowed to move to locations on land, and The Treasure Chest will be the third one in Louisiana to do so. The Hollywood Casino project in Baton Rouge and The Isle of Capri floating casino in Lake Charles will also move gambling operations landside, according to officials.
As The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported, the project was part of a larger push to revitalize Kenner’s Laketown neighborhood into a new entertainment destination. In August, more than $2 million was set aside by the Jefferson Parish Council to renovate the nearby boat launch on Lake Pontchartrain.
Mayor Michael Glaser told the newspaper that with the new set-up, they anticipated increased revenue to the residents of the city of Kenner, which would aid in capital projects.
In 2021 Las Vegas-based Atlantis Gaming unveiled plans for a new 40-acre “total destination resort” in Laketown costing $450 million, with condominiums, shops, and possibly gambling. However, the status of the development mentioned remains unclear.
In other news, US Integrity secures a “comprehensive partnership” with Saracen Casino Resort.
