Illinois Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Johns recently said commissioners will consider the sale of DiamondJacks Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana to Mississippi-based Foundation Gaming at their December meeting.
“We anticipate having Foundation on the December agenda at the Gaming Control Board to approve that transfer of license and let them finalize the sale of the property,” Johns said. He noted Foundation Gaming plans to invest $200 million in the property, which closed in 2020 due to Covid-19.
At the time, DiamondJacks’ owner, Peninsula Pacific, tried to move its license to St. Tammany Parish to develop a large casino resort, but voters rejected the plan in a referendum. Subsequently, the owners put the license on the market.
Once the license transfer is approved, Johns said Foundation Gaming will completely renovate DiamondJacks, “do away with the old legacy riverboat and build a first-class land-based casino,” Johns said. The new casino would open in 2024.
