Exceeding expectations in its first month of operations, Baton Rouge’s newest casino, ‘The Queen’, has recorded significant financial gains, doubling its initial gaming wins calculated in September 2023. As a revamped transformation of the previous Hollywood riverboat, the Queen of Baton Rouge heralds a new era of land-based gaming in Louisiana.
The casino comprises a sprawling 100,000-square-foot gaming floor, fitting in more than 700 slot machines, 18 table games, and a functional DraftKings Sportsbook since its opening on August 24. Figures presented by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) indicate the casino made an impressive $7.3 million from gamblers last month, marking an 85% year-on-year increase from the $3.9 million garnered in September 2022.
Owned and operated by Illinois-based CQ Holding Company, the casino, formerly a riverboat, was bought from Penn Entertainment for $28.2 million in 2021. To bring the gaming activities inland, the company invested an additional $85 million, also revamping the property’s dining possibilities.
The Queen now brags a list of culinary delights such as the 1717 American restaurant, the 3 Woks Noodle Bar, and Shaq’s Big Chicken. Despite this positive performance exhibited by The Queen, Baton Rouge’s two other casinos experienced a revenue slide last month.
An inland move is also underway for Belle of Baton Rouge, another riverboat casino owned by CQ Holding, the transition plans include transforming the property’s atrium into the casino and renovating its 250 hotel rooms. The work is slated to commence this month and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2024.
In terms of the broader gaming industry in Louisiana, the state’s 12 riverboat casinos have seen a decline in revenue. For instance, the three casinos in Lake Charles cumulatively won $62.2 million, down by 4.4% from the previous year.
Meanwhile, The Cordish Companies have obtained a license from the LGCB to acquire and revamp the currently inoperative Diamond Jacks property into a new land-based casino, promising a brighter future for the Shreveport/Bossier market.
