DraftKings Expands in Louisiana with Baton Rouge Sportsbook

DraftKings is expanding its Louisiana sports betting presence by opening a sportsbook inside a Baton Rouge casino.

The temporary sportsbook at the Hollywood riverboat casino will include 20 betting kiosks and three ticket windows for in-person wagering, the Boston-based bookmaker announced Thursday.

Hollywood Casino is relocating from its dock on the Mississippi River to a nearby land-based site, where a hotel-casino is under construction.

The $60 million construction project, being built on a former parking lot, will include a new casino with a permanent DraftKings sportsbook. Hollywood Casino is north of downtown Baton Rouge, near the state Capitol building.

DraftKings Also Operates Near Texas in Lake Charles

Michael Kibort, DraftKing’s senior director of retail sportsbooks, said in a news release the company is “excited to expand our DraftKings footprint in Louisiana.”

DraftKings also operates a sportsbook at the Golden Nugget riverboat casino in Lake Charles, about two hours west of Baton Rouge, near the Texas border.

DraftKings noted that the Baton Rouge sportsbook is its second project nationally with casino operator CQ Holding Company, Inc. The other is the DraftKings sportsbook at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Illinois.

The permanent sportsbook at the land-based Hollywood Casino in Baton Rouge is expected to open next year.

“Through our collaboration with CQ Holding Company, Inc. and Hollywood Casino, we look forward to revolutionizing the sports betting experience while providing sports fans with an outstanding entertainment facility in Baton Rouge,” Kibort said in the release.

Hollywood Among Other Riverboats Moving Ashore

Hollywood Casino is among other Louisiana riverboat casinos relocating to land-based sites.

Two others are the Treasure Chest in Kenner and the Isle of Capri in Lake Charles.

The Treasure Chest, a Boyd Gaming property, is located at Lake Pontchartrain, northwest of downtown New Orleans.

The Isle of Capri became dislodged during a hurricane in 2020 and struck a bridge. No one was injured. The Caesars Louisiana property is expected to reopen this fall as a land-based resort, to be rebranded the Horseshoe Casino.

Hollywood Casino is the only riverboat casino moving ashore so far in Baton Rouge. The other two riverboat casinos in the area are L’Auberge Baton Rouge and the Belle of Baton Rouge.

Louisiana No Longer Requires Casinos to Remain on Water

In the 1990s, when the state authorized riverboat casinos, the boats were required to venture into open water away from the port.

The state changed that requirement in 2001, allowing riverboats to remain docked.

In 2018, the law was changed to allow riverboat casinos to be transformed into land-based resorts.

List of Louisiana Properties with On-Site Sportsbooks

Below are the casinos and racinos with on-site sports betting in Louisiana.

• Amelia Belle near Morgan City
• Boomtown Bossier City
• Boomtown New Orleans
• Delta Downs Vinton
• Evangeline Downs near Opelousas
• Golden Nugget Lake Charles
• Harrah’s New Orleans
• Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge
• Horseshoe Bossier City
• L’Auberge Baton Rouge
• L’Auberge Lake Charles
• Margaritaville Bossier City
• Sam’s Town Shreveport
• Treasure Chest Kenner

On-site sports betting began inside Louisiana casinos on Oct. 31.

Mobile sports wagering was launched statewide on Jan. 28. DraftKings Louisiana Sportsbook is one of seven licensed to operate a mobile sportsbook in the state.