The new Treasure Chest Casino on Williams Boulevard in Kenner, Louisiana, opens to the public today, Thursday, June 6th. For the first time, the casino will operate from a land-based facility, after nearly three decades in the riverboat on Lake Pontchartrain.
Kenner Mayor Michael Glaser placed the first bet for $100 at a blackjack table during a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday’s general opening, in which the casino welcomed hundreds of its top players for a party.
The new land-based $100 million casino expansion project features a single-level 48,000-square-foot gaming floor with 900 slot machines and 32 table games. It also features four new restaurants and bars, a FanDuel-branded sportsbook, an 8,000-square-foot ballroom for meetings and events, and ample parking.
The casino will be open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and open 24 hours on Friday and Saturday.
Boyd Gaming, the owner of Treasure Chest, says the new one-story building provides a more comfortable experience for customers.
“Treasure Chest has always been one of our most successful casino properties,” said David Strow, Boyd Gaming corporate communications Vice President. “But there has always been the potential to do so much more.”
The Treasure Chest, which opened in 1994, is the third casino to move onto land in recent years after the Louisiana Legislature in 2018 approved a law allowing riverboat casinos to operate onshore to modernize the state’s gaming industry.
“By moving Treasure Chest onto land, we’re able to finally create a first-class gaming and entertainment offering that the city of Kenner, Jefferson Parish, and the entire community can be proud of,” Boyd Gaming CEO Keith Smith said.
For his part, Ronnie Johns, Chair of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, added that the opening is “a win-win situation for everybody,” noting that the land-based casinos employ more people and result in higher state and local gaming tax revenues.