Louisiana Treasure Chest Ready to Open Land-Based Casino

Published on: May 29, 2024, 3:54 a.m.

Last updated: May 28, 2024, 7:24 a.m.

The Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner, Louisiana, will soon move from its longtime riverboat to a new brick-and-mortar property just inland on Lake Pontchartrain.

Louisiana Casino Treasure Chest — A rendering of the new Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner, Louisiana, near New Orleans. The physical casino will open on June 8, 2024. (Image: Treasure Chest Casino)

Boyd Gaming has owned and operated the New Orleans area riverboat since its inception in 1994.

The Las Vegas-based gaming operator, which specializes in regional casino operations, announced in early 2022 an investment of approximately $100 million to bring riverboat gaming ashore with a new land-based facility. This project is completed and the brand new Treasure Chest will soon welcome its first guests.

The River Casino will close at 11:59 p.m. CDT on Saturday, June 1.

The new treasure chest will open at 8 a.m. on Thursday June 8. The physical facility is located at the end of Williams Boulevard. about 1,000 feet from where the riverboat is moored.

Land-based casinos

The upcoming Treasure Chest will offer 47,000 square feet of gaming, nearly double the 24,000 square feet of space currently offered on the ship, with more than 900 slot machines and two dozen live dealer table games . A FanDuel Sportsbook will also open next month.

The physical casino will look more like a Las Vegas resort, as several restaurants, including a sports bar and grill as well as a gourmet steakhouse, are included in the project. The Treasure Chest also hopes to become a destination for meetings and events with 10,000 square feet of customizable space.

The Treasure Chest will become the fourth land-based casino to open in Louisiana after state lawmakers amended the Bayou State’s gaming regulations in 2018. The amendment allows licensed riverboats to invest in physical developments, provided that new casinos remain within state boundaries. 1,200 feet from their original barges.

The legislative change came after several hurricanes significantly damaged or destroyed several casino boats. Other land-based casinos in Louisiana include Harrah’s New Orleans, Horseshoe Lake Charles, and The Queen Baton Rouge. Another brick-and-mortar casino is in the works in Bossier City.

Conveniently located in a spacious new landside facility offering familiar Boyd-style hospitality and service, the new single-level casino floor will feature the latest and greatest slots and table games, four unique dining rooms, a dynamic bookmaker, optimized entertainment and meeting space. all surrounded by cutting-edge technology for the ultimate customer experience,” read a statement from Boyd Gaming.

Local competition

While Harrah’s New Orleans primarily caters to visitors to the Big Easy, Treasure Chest is more focused on locals. Boyd Gaming’s investment in the property came after voters in neighboring St. Tammany Parish canceled a 2021 local referendum on a possible casino in Slidell.

In fiscal year 2023 – July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023 – Treasure Chest won $86.1 million from players. That’s a drop of more than 11% from the $97.2 million the boat earned in 2022.

The boat’s operations never returned to pre-pandemic levels.

In 2019, revenue from Treasure Chest games totaled $108.3 million. Fewer people are visiting the ship, as the number of entries in 2019 stood at 969,744, while entries in 2023 stood at 556,824, a reduction of almost 43%.