P2E Plans to Reopen DiamondJacks Casino in Bossier City, Louisiana

The gaming company that hoped to build a waterfront hotel-casino east of New Orleans intends to resume casino operations in Bossier City, the state’s top gaming regulator said.

Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, known as P2E, has indicated it plans to return to Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana and reopen the floating DiamondJacks casino, Ronnie Johns, chairman of the state Gaming Control Board, told Gambling.com on Wednesday.

Bossier City is on the east bank of the Red River, across from Shreveport.

The timeframe for the reopening is not yet known, Johns said.

P2E Given Two Months to Decide

Earlier this month, voters in St. Tammany Parish overwhelmingly rejected P2E’s plans to build a $325 million hotel-casino, to be called Camellia Bay Resort Casino Marina, on Lake Pontchartrain’s north shore near Slidell.

Earlier this year, Louisiana gaming regulators allowed P2E to transfer its casino license from the shuttered DiamondJacks riverboat casino in Bossier City to St. Tammany Parish, but only with voter approval.

After voters rejected the South Louisiana project, P2E was given 60 days to decide whether to reopen its property in Bossier City or surrender its license.

Now that it intends to reopen in Bossier City, P2E’s detailed plans, including the number of workers it would need to hire, were not immediately announced.

Seven Sportsbook Licenses Pending

Going into the new year, P2E has joined the state’s other 19 licensed casinos in applying for an on-site sportsbook license, Johns said.

Of these applicants, 13 have been approved and already are operating casino sportsbooks, while seven applications are pending.

“Hopefully by mid-January we can get those licensed,” he said of the remaining seven applicants.

In addition to these sportsbooks, a Betfred sportsbook is up and running inside the Paragon Casino Resort on tribal land near Marksville.

Also, the Coushatta Casino Resort on tribal land just north of Kinder recently opened a sportsbook called The Rez.

Tribal casinos, which are authorized under a federal compact, do not pay state taxes and are not regulated by the state. However, they are permitted to provide casino games that are legal in Louisiana.

Two Licensed Casinos Not Operating

Throughout Louisiana, 13 state-regulated riverboat casinos are in operation, along with a land-based casino in New Orleans and four horse tracks with slot machines, called racinos. These racinos also are allowed to have on-site sportsbooks.

The DiamondJacks riverboat casino in Bossier City is one of two licensed casinos not currently in operation.

The Isle of Capri, a riverboat casino in Lake Charles, was knocked out of business during a hurricane last year.

Owned by Nevada-based Caesars Entertainment, it is moving its operations ashore. The property is expected to open in 2022 as a land-based resort named Horseshoe Casino Lake Charles.

Smartphone Wagering Could Come Next Month

In addition to in-person betting at casino sportsbooks, mobile wagering soon will be legal in the 55 of 64 parishes that approved it in a statewide election last year.

Once the State Police completes its investigation of online license applicants, Louisiana mobile sports betting will begin in the state, possibly by the end of January, Johns said. That's when big betting brands inlcuding FanDuel, Draftkings, Caesars and BetMGM Louisiana will join the sports betting market.

Also next year, sports-betting kiosks are expected to be put into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. This program is being overseen by the Louisiana Lottery Corp.