Louisiana riverboat casino, the Treasure Chest is wrapping up construction on its land-based location in Kenner, according to a local report in The Advocate. Construction on the $100m land-based project started earlier this year.
Treasure Chest’s parent company, Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming, operates five properties in Louisiana.
Boyd Gaming CEO Keith Smith said, “We’re not just moving it to land; we are upgrading and expanding what we have to offer.”
The completed casino will be home to four restaurants, double the gaming space and a 10,000-square-foot convention center.
Builders recently installed the final steel beam and held a celebration for the project’s completion.
Treasure Chest Marketing Director Rodney Miller told local news that the casino is thrilled to be moving to a new location.
He said, “We’re just excited to be on land. We’re happy to be in Kenner, to be where we are. We’re a neighborhood casino.”
Treasure Chest has contributed millions of dollars directly to Kenner since its opening in 1994. Donated funds are designated to be used for capital improvement projects like police cars and street repairs.
Louisiana first legalized casino gambling in 1991. The state permitted up to 15 paddlewheel casinos after the initial law passed. Riverboat casinos remained the only ones in the state until lawmakers passed legislation in 2018 that allowed them to move onto land.
Horseshoe in Westlake moved its establishment to land in December. Along with Treasure Chest, plans are currently in the works for Hollywood in Baton Rouge to set up a land-based location later this fall.
The state could likely see two more casinos move ashore, Baton Rouge’s the Belle in and Diamond Jacks in Bossier City.
