The Louisiana Gaming Control Board recently approved the Belle of Baton Rouge riverboat casino’s request to move onto land at the downtown riverfront. The project, expected to cost $35 million and create 200 new jobs, will begin in April 2024 and be completed the following month.
The Belle will feature a 16,500-square-foot gaming floor with 316 slot machines and 14 table games, plus an oyster bar/bistro, pizza station, wine bar and bowling lanes and a 2,500-square-foot sportsbook and lounge.
The first phase of the project also includes renovating and opening 90 of the hotel’s 288 rooms, which were closed since the Covid-19 pandemic. Additional features will include cruise line dock access for American Cruise Lines, which would dock river tour boats there for 10 hours.
Terry Downey, president and chief executive officer at Belle owners CQ Holdings, said demolition already has begun inside the hotel. He noted the facility is “a massive building” with “unlimited potential.” Downey added the renovations will create “a very boutiquey, very fun” venue with a modern industrial theme to the décor, including railroad ties used as dividers in the hotel lobby and a hostess stand made from railroad cart wheels.
The oldest casino in the market, the aging Belle has dropped behind L’Auberge Baton Rouge as market leader. The Belle will be the second riverboat casino to move onto land in Baton Rouge. Hollywood Casino, also owned by CQ Holdings, broke ground in 2021 and is expected to move ashore in mid-2023.
