Belle of Baton Rouge Riverboat sets sail for final time, preceding major casino overhaul

The Belle of Baton Rouge, a riverboat casino that has been a fixture on the Mississippi River since 1994, set sail for the last time Tuesday morning, marking the next step in the $141 million redevelopment of the downtown casino. The aging vessel, aided by two tugboats, departed its dock and was escorted to a Terrebonne Parish scrapyard for dismantling. According to officials, more than 97% of the riverboat will be recycled.  

“This sendoff shows that things are changing, and it's a clear sign that the transformation of this area into a vibrant, thriving entertainment destination is well underway,” said Richard Cannon, general manager of the Belle.  

The Queen Casino & Entertainment, which operates the Belle, is relocating its gambling operations into a permanent land-based facility located in the casino atrium onshore. The transition will also include the reopening of the adjacent 242-room hotel, which has been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic began due to roof damage.

Set to open by late March or early April, the hotel will welcome guests once again, while the expanded and renovated Belle land-based casino is scheduled to open in the fall. The casino will be rebranded, with Queen Casino officials hinting that the new name will honor the history of the former Catfish Town entertainment area.  

“This will be a game changer,” Cannon stated. Currently, the Belle operates a temporary gambling facility that spans nearly 10,000 square feet on land. For years, the Belle operated as a riverboat casino docked near the former Catfish Town development.

While Louisiana's riverboat casinos were initially required to set sail every three hours, the Belle frequently remained docked due to concerns about river traffic and weather. This led to significant revenue loss, with a 1994 report revealing that the riverboat casino missed out on nearly $30,000 a day because of the mandatory sailings.  

In 2001, the state legislature approved dockside gambling, which allowed riverboats like the Belle to remain docked but still on the water. However, as time passed, the distance between the riverboat and its hotel became increasingly inconvenient for patrons.

Compared to L'Auberge, which opened in 2012 and featured a spacious modern casino barge, the Belle’s older setup began to feel outdated.  

Attempts to move the casino onto land had been considered before but were delayed due to ownership changes. The Belle was acquired by Eldorado Entertainment in 2018, and then sold in 2021 to the company that eventually became The Queen Casino & Entertainment.  

Plans for the Belle to transition onto land were formally announced by The Queen Casino & Entertainment in 2022. The new land-based casino will occupy half of the casino’s 50,000-square-foot atrium and will feature 775 slot machines, 24 table games, a sports book, an oyster bar/bistro, and a wine bar. The expansion is expected to create an increase in employment, with the workforce growing from 140 to more than 460 staff members.  

The Queen Casino & Entertainment is applying the same approach to the Belle’s redevelopment that it used with the Hollywood Casino, which it acquired in 2021 and rebranded as The Queen. Hollywood’s transition onto land, which was completed in August 2023, has contributed to The Queen’s success, fueling the accelerated plans for the Belle. At the same time, the entire Baton Rouge gambling market has seen growth in revenues.  

As part of an effort to integrate the two properties, a bus will be used to shuttle customers between the Belle and The Queen. Additionally, the casinos will share a player's club, allowing guests to accumulate rewards from both locations.