The Louisiana Gaming Control Board has unanimously approved the casino’s request to move off its gambling boat and into the casino’s atrium along the riverfront in downtown Baton Rouge.

There will be a 16,500-square-foot gaming floor in the atrium, along with a 2,500-square-foot sportsbook and lounge. Food and drink stations will also be in place in the $35m project, which will reportedly create 200 new jobs. Construction is expected to start in April 2023 and be finished by May 2024.

Among the plans, the casino’s 90-room hotel will reopen after a renovation, having been closed in 2020 amid the pandemic. There will also be cruise line dock access, with the docks set to be used by American Cruise Lines, which would dock riverboats there for 10 hours.

CQ Holding Vice President of Non-Gaming Operations Stacy Stagg commented: “We see the high traffic that that brings, as well as an energy.”

It will be the second riverboat casino to move ashore in Baton Rouge, and the second from CQ Holding, with the company’s Hollywood Casino having broke ground in 2021, with a move landside expected in mid-2023.

President and CEO of CQ Holding Terry Downey commented: “It’s a massive building. There’s unlimited potential on this property.”

CQ Holding Company currently owns and manages four casinos across three states, with two sports betting partnerships. Its properties comprise Casino Queen Marquette, Draftkings at Casino Queen, Belle of Baton Rouge, and Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge.