The Cordish Companies will be opening a new property in Louisiana and have now named an Executive Vice President (EVP) and General Manager (GM) of Live! Casino and Hotel Louisiana, John Chaszar. Chaszar has held leadership positions with several entertainment and hotel companies across the country in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, Kansas, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois and South Carolina.
He most recently served as SVP and GM of Tropicana Casino in Evansville, IN, which had also transitioned from floating to a land-based casino under his leadership. This experience with that transformation should be useful as the new land-based gaming facility begins to form at Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana.
“As The Cordish Companies continues to expand, we are focused on building a team that can deliver the high standards of quality and excellence that have become synonymous with the Live! brand nationwide,” said Rob Norton, President of Cordish Gaming Group, the gaming division of The Cordish Companies.
“We are confident that under John’s leadership, the new Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana will become a premier destination offering first-class hospitality and entertainment, exceptional customer service and generating millions of dollars in economic benefits for the Bossier City community for years to come.”
Chaszar also spent more than a decade with Penn Entertainment as VP and GM at several of its properties including Hollywood Casino in Baton Rouge, LA and Hollywood Casino Resort in Bay St. Louis, MS. He spent over 13 years with Quorum Hotels & Resorts in leadership positions across eight different locations.
Live! Casino and Hotel Louisiana is expected to open in the first quarter of 2025 and has a reported cost of more than $270m.
The project is expected to generate $35m in gaming tax revenues for Bossier City and more than $168m in gaming tax revenues for the state within the first five years of operation. Annually it should generate $34m in salaries, wages and tips, create approximately 750 new construction jobs and approximately 750 permanent gaming and hospitality jobs for local and regional residents.
The development is currently under construction on the site of the former Diamond Jacks Casino & Hotel in Bossier City.
