Another property may soon be taking advantage of a 2018 update of Louisiana gaming law allowing the state’s riverboat casinos to move operations on land.
The Belle of Baton Rouge is looking to move slots and table games inside the property’s atrium, meaning visitors would no longer have to enter a riverboat that’s been permanently docked on the Mississippi River. The Louisiana Gaming Control Board already approved the move in 2022, but the casino is now expected to meet with the city planning commission as well to begin finalizing the plan.
As part of the move, the Belle is also expected to undergo a rebranding and get a complete facelift. The property was the first casino to open in the market, but had fallen out of favor in recent years. In 2022, CQ Holding Company purchased the property from Caesars Entertainment. The company hopes to revive the property with the move inland to create a boutique-style casino and also renovate the hotel.
CQ also owns the Queen Baton Rouge (formerly known as the Hollywood Casino), which relocated gaming operations on land recently as well. The company poured $70 million into the changes at the Hollywood, which has traditionally been one of the city’s highest revenue-producing properties.
CQ is now hoping to bring back the Belle with some major changes and renovations, and also by gearing the property toward a different market.
“I grew up in the Las Vegas market, where you have 30 to 40 locals casinos in one valley,” CQ President and CEO Terry Downey told The Advocate. “There are many different ways to differentiate between the two properties … they will both feel brand new.”
