By james art While construction is underway at the Belle of Baton Rouge, a temporary land-based casino with 9,775 square feet of gaming space has opened.
Queen Casino & Entertainment, which owns Belle and The Queen Baton Rouge casino, is overseeing Belle’s $141 million expansion. The success of the expanded and rebranded The Queen prompted owners to accelerate plans to move the Belle of Baton Rouge ashore.
Set to open in the fall of 2025, the new location at 103 France St. will feature 25,000 square feet of gaming, a large gym, casual and fine dining and a cocktail lounge. The 10-story, 250-room Belle Hotel will be renovated and the property will be rebranded, though the owners are not disclosing details.
The expansion will increase employment at Belle to more than 460 employees.
In July, representatives of Catfish Queen LLC — the operators of the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino — withdrew their appeal to demolish the Catfish Town building to create a parking lot. Many preservationists were involved in saving the Maritime II building.
Meanwhile, the temporary casino features 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.