Casino Queen Marquette Will Rebrand to Bally’s With Opening of Brick-and-Mortar Facility
Posted on: July 22, 2025, 01:11h.
Last updated on: July 22, 2025, 01:27h.
- Casino Queen Marquette is amid a $21 million inland move
- Once inland, the casino will become known as Bally’s Marquette
- Only two riverboats in Iowa will remain
Casino Queen Marquette began construction of its brick-and-mortar gaming facility last October. When the $21 million project is complete, the longtime Iowa riverboat turned land-based casino will have a new name.
Casino Queen Marquette fell under the Bally’s Corporation umbrella after hedge fund Standard General announced its $4.6 billion acquisition of Bally’s last year. Standard General had owned the Casino Queen, along with DraftKings at Casino Queen in Illinois and the Queen and Belle of Baton Rouge properties in Louisiana, through its gaming subsidiary, Queen Casino & Entertainment, Inc.
As Standard General moved closer to completing its Bally’s takeover, the firm announced a multimillion-dollar land-based move of the Casino Queen Marquette, which is the organization’s sole casino in Iowa. This week, Bally’s Corp. announced that once the new brick-and-mortar Casino Queen Marquette opens, it will be renamed Bally’s Marquette.
We’re proud to honor Casino Queen Marquette’s deep-rooted connection to the community while ushering in an exciting new era as Bally’s Marquette. This transformation brings the entertainment experience our guests love onto land — making it more accessible, more comfortable, and more dynamic than ever before,” said Robin Corbeil, general manager of Casino Queen Marquette.
Bally’s Marquette is set to open in early 2026. Casino Queen Marquette remains open.
Bally’s is betting on generating more gaming revenue at its Marquette business with the new facility. In the state’s 2024 fiscal year, Casino Queen Marquette generated gross gaming revenue of only $20.7 million.
Casino Details
The 2026 rebranding of Casino Queen Marquette certainly won’t be the first time the casino has undergone a name change. The 17K-square-foot gaming vessel, which today has about 400 slot machines and a handful of live dealer and electronic table games, opened in December 1994 as the Miss Marquette.
The riverboat was rebranded by Isle of Capri Casinos in 2000 to Isle of Capri Marquette. In 2008, it was renamed Lady Luck and remained under that identity until it was sold in March 2017 to The Queen Casino & Entertainment. Casino Queen Marquette debuted later that year.
The $21 million Bally’s investment to overhaul Casino Queen Marquette into a land-based gaming facility includes renovating the longstanding dockside brick-and-mortar structure that has housed the riverboat’s restaurants, valet, bar, and concert space.
Pinky, the casino’s storied pink elephant that has stood on the banks of the upper Mississippi River, will remain.
In 2007, Iowa lawmakers passed legislation allowing riverboat casinos to move inland. Nearly all of the state’s 19 casinos have since moved ashore. After Bally’s Marquette opens, the only riverboats remaining in Iowa will be the Lakeside Hotel Casino in Osceola and the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Council Bluffs.
Bally’s Renames
Since completing its Bally’s purchase, the company, now owned by Standard General, has announced two casino rebrands to bring the group’s casinos into a more unified operation.
In March, Bally’s announced that the Belle of Baton Rouge was no more, as the casino hotel in the Louisiana capital city had been renamed to Bally’s Baton Rouge.
Last Comment ( 1 )
Will there still be a buffet in the casino?