Louisiana approves sale of abandoned Diamond Jacks Casino in Bossier City
Louisiana's Gaming Commission approved the sale of the abandoned Bossier City Diamond Jacks Casino to Foundation Gaming Thursday, setting the stage for a nearly $200 million renovation that the owners say will bring the property back to life.
"This is a day we've been waiting for a long time," Gaming Commission Chairman Ronnie Johns said. "Foundation has an impressive plan."
Foundation Gaming plans to open its new property, which will be the first land-based casino in the Shreveport-Bossier City market, by Dec. 2024 with demolition to begin early next year.
"We've put together what we believe will be a great project for the market and for the community," said Greg Guida, Foundation's co-chief executive officer.
The new owners - Foundation is operated by five partners - said the company will rebrand the 26-acre property with a new name, which hasn't been determined.
"We're going to bring something new and different to the market that we draw folks in as a destination," said Les McMackin, chief operations and marketing officer. "We get to start fresh."
The project has the full endorsement of Bossier City Mayor Thomas Chandler and the Bossier Parish Police Jury, as well as legislators like Democratic state Rep. Sam Jenkins, in whose District 2 the casino is located.
“I am pleased to hear about the casino returning to help the economy of Shreveport-Bossier," Jenkins said. "The improvements to the facility and the expectation of jobs and tourism are welcomed news."
Foundation Gaming is based in Mississippi, where it operates Fitz Casino in Tunica and WaterView Casino in Vicksburg.
Among Foundation's plans for the Bossier City project: new construction on a 47,000-square-foot casino; complete renovation of the 405-room hotel; a sports betting lounge and 300-seat live entertainment venue the owners say will be a signature feature of the property; at least three restaurants and two retail outlets; spa; and pool.
Guida and McMackin said the existing riverboat will be sold and moved either by floating down the Red River or disassembling and moving by land.
Diamond Jacks has been closed since the spring of 2020, a casualty of what previous owner Peninsula Pacific called the "unexpected impact" of the COVID pandemic. The dilapidated campus has been vacant ever since.
Peninsula never intended to reopen Diamond Jacks in Bossier City.
The company went all in on a bid to use its license to build a $325 million casino resort project in St. Tammany Parish near Slidell, but voters there overwhelmingly rejected the proposal.
"Peninsula bought the property to go to St. Tammany," Johns said. "When that didn't work out they bailed out."
The property was the first casino to open in the Shreveport-Bossier market, starting business at the Isle of Capri in 1994.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Here's what new owners of Diamond Jacks casino have planned in Bossier
