Cordish has broken ground on a $270m project that will become Louisiana’s first land-based casino resort. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

$270m project begins

The Cordish Companies has broken ground on a dormant 26-acre former Diamond Jacks Casino property in Bossier City, Louisiana. One of its principles has stated that the $270m casino resort replacing it will prove “game-changing.”

Cordish took to X Wednesday to share images of the groundbreaking ceremony, also attended by Bossier City Mayor Thomas Chandler and Louisiana Gaming Commission (LGC) Chairman Ronnie Johns:

Principle with the Baltimore-based firm, Jon Cordish, said the Louisiana Live! Casino resort will give other top gambling properties in the US a run for their money.

when you walk into this property you’ll feel like you’re in a premier casino”

The USA Today Network cited Cordish as stating: “It’s going to have a quality and energy that when you walk into this property you’ll feel like you’re in a premier casino and resort in the top gaming markets, including Las Vegas.”

Cordish also guaranteed Louisiana’s first land-based casino would “be game-changing and set a new standard in the market.”

Expansion drive

The groundbreaking of the Live! Casino in Bossier City comes after Cordish agreed to acquire the dormant Diamond Jacks back in Spring. At the time, Cordish Gaming Group President Rob Norton stated the success of Texas Live! gave his brand the confidence to expand its footprint into south-central and southeast US.

Norton, who was one of the diggers on Wednesday, promised the Louisiana Live! Casino resort would provide “economic opportunities for all” with 750 construction jobs and the same amount of permanent roles. Fellow ground-breaker and Senator-elect Sam Jenkins concurred, stating the amount of new jobs would be “transformational.”

Mayor Chandler, meanwhile, said the Bossier City project was:

the largest venture that has happened in our area in a long time.”

The Shreveport Times cited LGC’s Johns as stating he believes the Louisiana casino will boost what he said was a “declining gambling market” in the Shreveport-Bossier area.

Opening 2025

Only 15 casino licenses are available in Louisiana, with 14 of those for riverboat casinos. Cordish, who has already axed its Diamond Jacks’ riverboat casino, owns the first and only land-based casino license in the state.

Once operational, the new casino’s highlights will include a Sports & Social sports bar and restaurant curated by Chef John Suley, a steakhouse, a Professional Bull Riders Cowboy Bar, and a Southeast Asian eatery called Luk Fu.

Cordish slates the new casino to open in early 2025.