Ground was broken in Kenner, La., on Oct. 18 ahead of the construction of the new land-based Treasure Chest casino, a more than $100 million development that will replace the aging riverboat of the same name in early 2024.
NOLA.com, the online news site for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, reported that full construction will soon get under way at the north end of Williams Boulevard at Lake Pontchartrain.
The facility, owned by Nevada-based Boyd Gaming, will include a 47,000-sq.-ft. gambling hall — twice the size of its water-based counterpart — and 10,000 sq. ft of convention space, alongside new restaurants, bars and a FanDuel Sportsbook.
"With the new set-up, we anticipate increased revenue [for] the residents of the city of Kenner, which will aid in capital projects," Mayor Michael Glaser said. "This is a wonderful day in Kenner."
Construction on the land-based gambling hall will take 12 to 15 months, NOLA.com learned, and is being built on what used to be a parking lot for riverboat patrons. A new parking surface, which customers can use during construction, is nearing completion.
Casino One Part of Laketown Revitalization
The project is part of a larger push to rejuvenate the city's Laketown area into a new entertainment destination. In August, the Jefferson Parish Council set aside more than $2 million to renovate the nearby boat launch on Lake Pontchartrain.
In addition, Las Vegas-based Atlantis Gaming announced plans last year for a new $450 million, 40-acre "total destination resort" in Laketown, with shops, condominiums and gambling. The status of that development, however, is still up in the air, according to NOLA.com.
Donald Bailey, president and CEO of Atlantis Gaming, told the news source that the company is nearing the end of negotiations with Louisiana on securing a lake bottom lease. Much of the project would be built overwater on eight specially constructed concrete barges.
Glaser said that during an introductory meeting in September, officials with Atlantis Gaming told him the cost of the project had ballooned to $700 million. He questioned what sort of revenue source could support such an investment.
Nonetheless, local officials were upbeat at the Treasure Chest groundbreaking, with Kenner City Councilman Joey LaHatte calling it the "start of the revitalization of Laketown," which also includes the Pontchartrain Center events hall.
Major Revenue Source for Kenner
Treasure Chest's riverboat casino, first opened in 1994, has generated millions of dollars in revenue for Kenner, a western suburb of New Orleans, and serves as the primary funding source for the community's long-term capital projects.
Jefferson Parish Council Member Dominick Impastato noted that the casino's expansion is not only a win for economic development, but also for the city's overall infrastructure.
"Literally every citizen in the city of Kenner benefits from the success of the Treasure Chest," he added.
The Treasure Chest is among the first floating casinos to take advantage of a 2018 change in state law that allowed riverboats to move their operations onto land.
At the kickoff event, Keith Smith, president and CEO of Boyd Gaming, thanked Ronnie Johns, current chair of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, for sponsoring that legislation during his time as a state senator. He also lauded city and parish leaders for their support.
"With this project, we'll be taking the Treasure Chest to a new level, and with it, our investment in this great community," Smith explained.
LaHatte, who represents the Laketown area on the Kenner City Council, called the development a "blessing," noting that Kenner residents will no longer need to leave the city for entertainment.
"Everybody's excited about it," he said. "It's something that the area needs."
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