Bally’s Baton Rouge Opens, Former Belle Now Land-Based Casino
Posted on: October 27, 2025, 12:36h.
Last updated on: October 27, 2025, 12:45h.
- The former Belle of Baton Rouge is now Bally’s Baton Rouge
- Bally’s Baton Rouge plans to open its land-based casino in December
The Belle of Baton Rouge has officially left the ball, making way for the all-new Bally’s Baton Rouge.
A new LSU football coach isn’t the only big thing coming to Baton Rouge. Following a more than $140 million overhaul of the former Belle riverboat casino property along the Mississippi River, Bally’s Baton Rouge is nearing completion.
The Louisiana capital city casino plans to open its new land-based casino in December. Its fully renovated 242-room hotel is already up and running.
Rhode Island-based Bally’s Corp. said the Belle of Baton Rouge is formally Bally’s Baton Rouge as of today, October 27. Bally’s acquired the Belle and The Queen Baton Rouge through private equity firm Standard General’s takeover of Bally’s Corp., a $4.6 billion transaction completed earlier this year.
Forthcoming Casino
Bally’s Baton Rouge continues to operate a temporary gaming space inside the glass-enclosed atrium building. The provisional casino has 220 slot machines and three table games.
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board is expected to approve the casino’s name change to Bally’s Baton Rouge during its November 13 meeting. The new brick-and-mortar casino is replacing about 25K square feet of underutilized space within the atrium complex.
The permanent Bally’s Baton Rouge Casino Hotel will include more than 750 slots, 24 tables, and a Bally Bet Sportsbook. The $141 million overhaul of the resort will also include new restaurants and bars.
The Dining Depot includes everything from oysters and a wine bar to pizza and coffee. There’s a forthcoming craft beer and cocktail bar, a two-lane bowling alley, and a luxury gaming lounge.
Bally’s Baton Rouge General Manager Richard Cannon says the casino will revitalize the riverfront corridor and bring new excitement to the Louisiana capital. Along with the 242 refurbished guestrooms, the hotel features a modern fitness center.
Nearby attractions include the Louisiana State Capitol, the Old State Capitol, the USS Kidd, a Fletcher-class USS destroyer, the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, and the LSU Museum of Art. The LSU campus and Tiger Stadium are just a short cab ride away.
Jobs Added
Along with its $141 million investment in Baton Rouge, Bally’s Corp. says its renovation of the former Belle has increased the casino resort’s total employment by 350 positions. The new Bally’s Baton Rouge workforce now exceeds 500 staffers.
Bally’s Baton Rouge is one of 16 casinos in Louisiana. In the 2024 fiscal year, the Belle was the least-visited casino with fewer than 118K admissions. The riverboat generated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of only $7.1 million, which ranked last.
Bally’s is betting on the upgraded hotel and new land-based casino leading to a substantial business turnaround. That was the case at The Queen Baton Rouge following its 2023 land-based casino opening, which cost $100 million.
The Queen reported GGR of more than $23.5 million from July through September 2025. That’s up $3 million from a year ago. The Queen opened its land-based casino in August 2023.
Last Comment ( 1 )
The decision-makers at Penn State University in State College, PA are eternally grateful to Bally's Corporation for breaking off ties with local casino developer Ira Lubert. His unwanted Happy Valley Casino plans to open in the Spring. Mid-June will still be in the Spring. The bucolic college town of State College never asked for a 24/7 casino in the dying local Nittany Mall. When Bally's focused more closely on the plan for the Happy Valley Casino to be built inside of a former Macy's department store, they quickly realized that is no recipe for success. Way to go, Bally's! Parents of Penn State students remain equally grateful. Future casino chaos in Happy Valley was the last thing they ever anticipated.