About three years ago, legislators in Louisiana approved gambling riverboats to move from water to land. It’s finally time for the Kenner property known as the Treasure Chest Casino to make the move. The owners of the casino announced this week that it will be spending $95 million to transition and create a larger gambling facility.

Details of the Remodel and Move

Boyd Gaming is the parent company of the Treasure Chest, with Keith Smith announcing that the casino will not just move to land but will upgrade and expand what it offers. The gaming space will be doubled once the casino moves to land, with the venue going up within the Levee protection of the current parking lot of the casino.

The casino will be 47,000 square feet in size and will be located within one level. The casino will include a sports betting space along with a new steakhouse restaurant. For visitors in need of meeting space, the casino will include a 10,000 square foot conference area.

The project is expected to take two years to complete. The existing riverboat will remain open while the construction takes place. The Treasure Chest has been operational since 1994 and contributed millions to the Kenner area. The funds have helped to repair streets and provide police cars to the community.

With the expansion to land, it is expected that the contribution to the city will grow and even more can be done with the allocated funds.

Isle of Capri Moving to Land

Along with the Treasure Chest, the Isle of Capri in Lake Charles is moving on land. Details to make the move were announced in August of 2021 and it is expected that by this fall the Horseshoe Casino Lake Charles will open.

The riverboat casino was unable to reopen after Hurricane Laura destroyed its mooring and the boat was stuck under the Interstate 10 bridge. The COVID-19 pandemic was also occurring at this time which hindered the reopening process.

The expanded venue is expected to have 60,000 square feet or more in gambling space along with close to 1,000 slots and table games. The size will make the land-based venue around 15,000 square feet larger than the riverboat. The new casino will also offer a WSOP branded poker room and Caesar’s sportsbook.

Along with gambling options, the property will include a redesigned hotel tower with 253 guest rooms. The hotel will be designed based on scenery in the area.