New owners plan to reopen northwest Louisiana casino on land

Business Report
 
New owners plan to reopen northwest Louisiana casino on land
Wild Casino

A Mississippi company is buying the shuttered Diamond Jacks Casino in Bossier City, with plans for a $200 million renovation and reopening.

The Louisiana Gaming Commission on Thursday approved the sale of the casino to Foundation Gaming. Foundation says it plans to build the first land-based casino in northwest Louisiana—all the others are on barges—with an aim to reopen by December 2024. The company will choose a new name for the property.

“We’ve put together what we believe will be a great project for the market and for the community,” says Greg Guida, Foundation’s co-chief executive officer.

The property was the first casino to open in northwest Louisiana in 1994, initially doing business as the Isle of Capri.

Local officials support the plan, hoping it will bring jobs and tax dollars. The company currently operates the Fitz Casino in Mississippi’s Tunica County and WaterView Casino in Vicksburg.

Demolition will begin early next year, to be followed by construction on a 47,000-square-foot casino, a sports betting lounge and 300-seat live entertainment venue, as well as renovation of the 405-room hotel.

The existing riverboat will be sold and either floated away on the Red River or taken away in pieces by land. Read the full story.