Penn National Gaming's L’Auberge Baton Rouge in Louisiana has commenced the $6.7 million renovation and rebranding of its Stadium Sports Bar & Grill that will turn it into a Barstool Sportsbook. The new amenity is set to open "around November," the casino’s vice president of marketing, Cheryl Duhon, told The Advocate.
The new sportsbook will have a full restaurant and bar, featuring a menu similar to what Stadium offered. On the left side of the eatery, there will be the sports wagering area and lounge, with betting windows and self-service kiosks. That section will replace one of the casino’s service bars and will open onto the casino floor.
The Barstool Sportsbook will be the first permanent one in a Baton Rouge casino. Hollywood Casino has a temporary DraftKings sportsbook, with a definitive one expected to open as soon as the facility finishes its land-based expansion in late spring 2023.
L'Auberge Baton Rouge
As reported by the cited news source, Duhon spoke about this new endeavor and said: “We want this to have a presence. Barstool is such a unique brand, we want it to be seen as soon as one enters the casino."
Penn National Gaming, the parent company of L’Auberge, owns a 36% stake in Barstool, hence the number of Penn National casinos that have a Barstool branded sportsbook in them, including L’Auberge Lake Charles.
The property is mapping out the staffing for the 10,000 square foot facility, but Duhon stated the sportsbook should lead to hiring 40 new employees.
Once the sportsbook is completed, the casino plans to reopen its Edge bar inside the Bon Temps Market. The Edge has been closed for about a year, when the casino turned the area into a second smoking terrace. The private dining areas inside the market will be turned into the Edge space, expected to cost between $1.5-2 million to remodel, slated for 2023.
Barstool Sportsbook at L'Auberge in Lake Charles
The news of the upcoming sportsbook at the Baton Rouge casino comes two months after the opening of the new Barstool Sportsbook at L'Auberge in Lake Charles, which had a ribbon-cutting ceremony held March 14 to allow the first bettors into the newly renewed 9,000 square feet space, which features food, drinks, TVs and gambling.