Queen Baton Rouge in Louisiana Opens Land-Primarily based On line casino
The Queen Baton Rouge is formally open following an $85 million overhaul that introduced the on line casino ashore and expanded the gaming house.
The Queen Baton Rouge, previously Hollywood On line casino Baton Rouge, is open. The riverboat has moved inland with a land-based on line casino that gives extra slots and desk video games, plus a DraftKings Sportsbook. (Picture: Queen Baton Rouge)
Previously Hollywood On line casino Baton Rouge, Illinois-based gaming agency CQ Holding Firm acquired the Louisiana riverboat in 2021 from Penn Leisure for $28.2 million. CQ then introduced a significant overhaul of the on line casino.
The 2-year, $85 million mission included bringing the on line casino inland with a bigger gaming space. The brand new on line casino spans greater than 100,000 sq. ft, making it considerably bigger than the previous 66,000-square-foot boat. The on line casino options over 700 slot machines, 18 desk video games, and a DraftKings Sportsbook.
The on line casino doesn’t provide an on-site resort, however the $85 million funding did deliver new eating places and bars to the vacation spot. Among the many expanded F&B choices is Huge Hen, a fast-casual idea specializing in Louisiana fried rooster. Shaquille O’Neal, an LSU grad, is a co-founder of the chain.
The Queen Baton Rouge additionally presents 6,000 sq. ft of assembly and occasion house.
Together with Queen Baton Rouge, CQ Holding Firm owns and operates the Belle of Baton Rouge. The corporate’s portfolio moreover consists of On line casino Queen Marquette in Iowa and DraftKings at On line casino Queen in East St. Louis, Il.
Queen’s Huge Wager
Earlier than the renovation, Hollywood On line casino Baton Rouge was a comparatively minor participant within the Louisiana riverboat gaming trade.
Throughout the state’s 2018-19 fiscal yr, Hollywood generated gross gaming income of simply $55 million. Golden Nugget Lake Charles topped the record at $319.6 million. In Baton Rouge, the locale was managed by L’Auberge, which received $148 million off gamers that yr.
CQ’s funding comes amid a slide in statewide gaming revenues. On line casino.org reported this week that gross gaming income has declined yr over yr in every of the earlier six months.
However the state capital on line casino is opening simply in time for the kickoff of the faculty soccer season. LSU begins the season ranked fifth within the AP Prime 25 preseason ballot. Tigers video games repeatedly appeal to over 100K followers to Baton Rouge on Saturdays all through the season.
Due to crime in Baton Rouge, many LSU followers chorus from venturing downtown. Queen Baton Rouge Common Supervisor Matthew Shehadi hopes to alter that.
We’ve offered a enjoyable, thrilling, secure setting and utterly redid the parking zone, lighting, and safety. We simply need folks to return down, have enjoyable, and really feel secure,” mentioned Shehadi.
“The Hollywood is out. The Queen Baton Rouge is in. It’s an $85 million renovation. It’s completely beautiful,” he added.
Baton Rouge Crime
A silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic was that the coronavirus resulted in diminished crime within the Louisiana capital. US Information & World Report’s “Finest Locations” says Baton Rouge right this moment has a decrease crime fee than equally sized metro areas.
NeighborhoodScout, a web-based database of US neighborhood analytics, says folks in Baton Rouge stay likelier to be a sufferer of a violent crime than residents in the remainder of Louisiana. The web site stories that an individual in Baton Rouge has a one in 84 probability of turning into a violent crime sufferer. Statewide, the possibilities are only one in 147.
