While construction is ongoing at the Belle of Baton Rouge, a temporary land-based casino has opened with 9,775 square feet of gaming space.
The Queen Casino & Entertainment, which owns the Belle and The Queen Baton Rouge casino, is overseeing the Belle’s $141 million expansion. The success of the expanded and rebranded The Queen has led the owners to accelerate their plans to move the Belle of Baton Rouge onto land.
Set to open in fall 2025, the new location at 103 France St. will feature 25,000 square feet of gaming, a large sports lounge, casual and fine dining and a cocktail lounge. The Belle’s 10-story, 250-room hotel will be renovated and the property rebranded, though the owners haven’t revealed details.
The expansion will boost employment at the Belle to more than 460 staffers.
In July, representatives of Catfish Queen LLC — the operators of the Belle of Baton Rouge casino — withdrew their appeal effort for the demolition of the Catfish Town building to create a parking lot. Many preservation advocates were involved in saving the Maritime II building.
In the meantime, the temporary casino includes more than 220 slot machines and three table games, and is located on the Mississippi River levee just off River Road in downtown Baton Rouge.
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