Summary
- The casino will cost over $100 million to build.
- The property will replace an old river boat casino.
- The tentative opening date is 2024.
In the past, one of the only options for casino gaming in many US states was riverboat facilities. State laws prohibited casinos on land in some areas, which led to facilities heading out on the river.
Over the past few years, such venues are transferring licensing to land to offer larger and more stable properties. In Louisiana, Boyd Gaming has just broken ground on its Treasure Chest Casino, a land-based facility taking the place of a former riverboat casino of the same name.
Moving Ahead with Construction
Officials broke ground yesterday on the casino, prepping to spend more than $100 million on the development. The new Louisiana casino will take the place of an old riverboat venue when it opens in 2024. The property will be located at Lake Pontchartrain at Williams Boulevard.
Boyd Gaming is the owner and operator of the new casino and they have plans to launch a 47,000 square foot gaming hall. The new casino will be twice the size of the original riverboat property and offer 10,000 additional square feet of convention space.
Also on site will be new dining options and bars. Sports fans will be able to enjoy wagering at the FanDuel Sportsbook.
Revitalizing the Laketown Neighborhood
Mayor Michael Glaser, of Kenner, says the project will provide increased revenue once it opens and will help the city with capital aid projects. The casino build is part of a larger effort to help the economy in the Laketown area of Kenner.
The goal is to create an entertainment destination that will provide revenues from several streams, including the casino. Just two months ago, the Jefferson Parish Council put over $2 million aside to help renovate the local boat launch.
In 2021, Atlantis Gaming announced a plan to create a total destination resort in Laketown that cost $450 million. The resort would offer condos and shops and possibly gambling in the future. The status of this development is still undetermined.
The company is currently working on finishing up completing a lease on the lake bottom to help the process move forward. Most of the project would be completed on eight concrete barges.
For now, the Treasure Chest Casino will be a big earner once it is open for business. It will not be fully operational until 2024, but once it is ready, it is expected to bring in more revenues to the area via visitors and locals.
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