Louisiana’s Belle of Baton Rouge opens temporary casino

The company has inaugurated nearly 10,000 square feet of gaming space.

US.- Belle of Baton Rouge in Louisiana has opened a temporary land-based casino while construction continues on the permanent venue. It has nearly 10,000 square feet of gaming space with over 220 slot machines and three table games on the Mississippi River levee just off River Road in downtown Baton Rouge. The casino will open daily from 10am to 2am.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (GLPI) agreed in June to provide up to $111m in funding to Queen Casino & Entertainment for the move to land and hotel renovation. The total costs are expected to exceed $141m. GLPI will own the new Belle of Baton Rouge property and lease its operations to Queen Casino Entertainment.

See also: Fanatics launches in Louisiana

Earlier this year, GLPI acquired the real estate assets of the Silverado Franklin Hotel & Gaming Complex, the Deadwood Mountain Grand Casino and Baldini’s Casino for $105m. GLPI and affiliates of Strategic Gaming Management entered into two cross-defaulted triple-net lease agreements, each for an initial 25-year term with two ten-year renewal periods.

Sports betting in Louisiana: handle reaches $234.5m in August

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board’s online and retail sports betting revenue figures for August showed a handle of $234.5m, up 52 per cent year-over-year. That included a $218.2m mobile sports betting handle, up 57.1 per cent from August 2023. Retail locations registered $16.3m, up 8.2 per cent from the same period last year.

Net proceeds from online sports betting reached $22.7m, while retail sports wagering locations generated $2.7m. Operators paid the state close to $3.7m in taxes.