The Queen Baton Rouge and DraftKings Sportsbook in Louisiana celebrated the grand opening of the new venue over the weekend, which included a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by former NFL quarterback Matt Flynn.
It was announced in 2020 that The Queen Baton Rouge would undergo a complete redevelopment, following its acquisition by Casino Queen Holding Company.
Originally operated as the Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge, the riverboat casino, The Queen Baton Rouge operates as the first land-based casino under Baton Rouge.
The $85m redevelopment covers over 100,000 square feet of construction, which includes a range of dining, gaming and entertainment areas.
At the time of opening, four restaurants and bars have been confirmed for The Queen Baton Rouge, those being The Loft at 1717, 3 Woks Noodle Bar, Big Chicken and Capitol Coffee.
As for the gaming floor, The Queen Baton Rouge will provide 700 gaming machines and 18 gaming tables, along with a dedicated elevated smoking section with 100 slot machines, six table games and a bar.
The DraftKings Sportsbook will feature 20 betting kiosks, four staffed betting windows and a 28 feet-wide video wall that will stream live sports to customers.
The opening ceremony for this venue was attended by Terry Downey, CEO and President of The Queen Gaming & Entertainment; Sharon Weston Broome, Mayor-President of Baton Rouge; Matthew Shehadi, The Queen Baton Rouge General Manager; Matt Flynn, former LSU Tiger and NFL quarterback and Ronnie Johns, Chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.
During its Q2 results, DraftKings announced a 90% jump in annual revenue, as well as a significant drop in loss from operations.
