DraftKings is set to launch its latest physical sportsbook in Louisiana. 

Next week, DraftKings will start accepting in-person wagers in Bossier City with the launch of Live! Louisiana Casino & Hotel. DraftKings will provide sports wagering within the casino’s Sports & Social bar and dining area. The major sportsbook will install self-betting kiosks across the venue and also manage a staffed counter.

"With the addition of the DraftKings Sportsbook, we are elevating the experience for sports fans, connecting them to a new level of engagement across some of America’s most popular leagues, including the NFL, NBA, and more,” said John Chaszar, general manager of Live! Louisiana. “From cheering on the Dallas Cowboys to the LSU Tigers and every team in between, the new retail DraftKings Sportsbook will be an incredibly popular entertainment option for the entire Ark-La-Tex region.”

DraftKings is already active in Louisiana, both virtually and physically, via its collaboration with the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles. 

Louisiana Casino Set to Launch! 

The Cordish Companies, based in Baltimore, intends to reopen the completely renovated and rebranded Diamond Jacks on Thursday, February 13. In April 2023, Cordish purchased the closed riverboat and hotel, investing around $270 million to renovate the site into a fresh gaming and entertainment venue. 

The initiative involved relocating the casino on land with a new physical establishment. The gaming area spans 47,000 square feet and includes more than 1,000 slot machines and 40 table games with live dealers. The funding also renovated all 550 hotel rooms, the 25,000-square-foot versatile events area, and the outdoor resort-style swimming pool. 

Additional amenities debuting next week feature The Prime Rib, a famous steakhouse that started in Baltimore in 1965, along with a PBR Cowboy Bar, which offers live music and a mechanical bull for adventure enthusiasts. Other dining options include an Asian restaurant named Luk Fu and Ridotto Grand Café, which serves Italian cuisine. 

Like numerous casinos in western Louisiana, Live! Louisiana is set to feature an RV park with complete hookups to serve the numerous gamblers from nearby Texas. 

Live! Casino Rejects Internet Gambling 

Cordish's initial refurbishment of a current casino presumes that Louisiana state lawmakers are unlikely to support iGaming in the near future. Even though Cordish operates online casinos in Pennsylvania, one of just seven states that allow online slots and table games, it has informed lawmakers nationwide considering online casinos that this type of interactive gaming harms traditional venues. 

At a recent hearing in Baton Rouge, Cordish Counsel Mark Stewart expressed that iGaming “results in reduced foot traffic." Reduced foot traffic results in decreased revenue. Lower income results in reduced reinvestment. 

Not all are in agreement. Numerous gaming operators, such as regional leaders Penn Entertainment and Boyd Gaming, think online gaming enhances traditional play. 

Howard Glaser, the worldwide leader of government relations at Light & Wonder, a major producer of retail gaming items such as slot machines and table games, agrees. Although L&W primarily earns most of its revenue from physical products, the gaming supplier based in Las Vegas is optimistic about its iGaming segment and believes that online operations are “complementary” to traditional stores.

"There is clear demand for online gaming. The existence of online gambling has to be grappled with. If you are primarily a local or regional land-based casino, the concern is how do you participate successfully in the opportunity that online gaming presents, or is it a threat to your business?” Glaser asked during a recent chat with Casino.org.

“Different sectors of the casino market are coming to different conclusions about that,” Glaser explained.