DraftKings Sportsbook to Open With $270 Million Live! Casino Hotel Louisiana

Posted on: February 7, 2025, 10:14h. 

Last updated on: February 7, 2025, 10:48h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

DraftKings will open its newest brick-and-mortar sportsbook by way of Louisiana.

Next week, DraftKings will begin taking in-person bets in Bossier City with the grand opening of Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana. DraftKings will offer sports betting inside the casino’s Sports & Social bar and restaurant. The sportsbook giant will place self-wagering kiosks throughout the facility and additionally operate a staffed window.

With the addition of the DraftKings Sportsbook, we are elevating the experience for sports fans, connecting them to a new level of engagement across some of America’s most popular leagues, including the NFL, NBA, and more,” said John Chaszar, general manager of Live! Louisiana. “From cheering on the Dallas Cowboys to the LSU Tigers and every team in between, the new retail DraftKings Sportsbook will be an incredibly popular entertainment option for the entire Ark-La-Tex region.”

DraftKings already operates in Louisiana, both online and in person, through its partnership with the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles.

Louisiana Casino Ready to Go Live!

Baltimore-based Cordish Companies plans to reopen the fully renovated and rebranded Diamond Jacks on Thursday, February 13. Cordish acquired the shuttered riverboat and hotel in April 2023, and invested approximately $270 million into refurbishing the property into a new gaming and entertainment destination.

Other amenities opening next week include The Prime Rib, a world-renowned steakhouse that originated in Baltimore in 1965, and a PBR Cowboy Bar, which hosts live music and a mechanical bull for thrill-seekers. Additional culinary offerings are highlighted by an Asian outlet called Luk Fu and Ridotto Grand Café, an Italian eatery.

As many casinos in western Louisiana do, Live! Louisiana will have an RV park with full hookups to accommodate the many gamblers from neighboring Texas.

Live! Casino Opposes Online Gaming 

Cordish’s first renovation of an existing casino assumes that state lawmakers in Louisiana won’t bet on iGaming anytime soon. Despite running online casinos in Pennsylvania, one of only seven states where online slots and table games are permitted, Cordish has told lawmakers across the country mulling online casinos that such interactive play is a detriment to brick-and-mortar.

During a recent hearing in Baton Rouge, Cordish Counsel Mark Stewart opined that iGaming “means less foot traffic. Less foot traffic means less revenue. Less revenue means less reinvestment.”

Not everyone agrees. Many gaming operators, including regional giants Penn Entertainment and Boyd Gaming, believe online gaming complements legacy play.

Howard Glaser, the global head of government affairs at Light & Wonder, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of retail gaming products like slot machines and table games, concurs. Despite L&W generating the bulk of its revenue through physical products, the Las Vegas-based gaming supplier is bullish on its iGaming division and thinks online ops are “additive” to brick-and-mortar.

There is clear demand for online gaming. The existence of online gambling has to be grappled with. If you are primarily a local or regional land-based casino, the concern is how do you participate successfully in the opportunity that online gaming presents, or is it a threat to your business?” Glaser asked during a recent chat with Casino.org.

“Different sectors of the casino market are coming to different conclusions about that,” Glaser explained.