Belle of Baton Rouge explained

Belle of Baton Rouge
Location:Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Address:103 France Street
Rooms:288 (temporarily closed)
Space Gaming:28500square feet
Casino Type:Riverboat
Owner:Gaming and Leisure Properties
License Holder:CQ Holding
Names Pre:Argosy
Catfish Queen

The Belle of Baton Rouge is a riverboat casino and hotel in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by The Queen Casino & Entertainment.

Facilities

The casino boat is a 268feet, four-deck sternwheeler built by Avondale Shipyard.[1] It has of gaming space spread across three decks, containing 350 slot machines and 10 table games.[2]

The hotel is 10 stories tall, with 288 rooms, a swimming pool, and a fitness center.[3] [4] As of 2020, it is closed for renovations.[5] Next to the hotel is a five-story-tall, 50000square feet, glass-enclosed atrium.[6] Inside the atrium is a performance venue that has been used for concerts, mixed martial arts events, and nationally televised boxing matches.[7] [8] [9] Other amenities include meeting spaces, three eateries, and two parking garages.

History

Catfish Town (1984–1992)

The Belle atrium is located at Catfish Town, a historic warehouse district that was redeveloped and opened as a festival marketplace in July 1984.[10] The $30-million project was developed by a group led by Jerry Dodson, with part of the budget financed by the city government using grant money from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Catfish Town struggled to attract tenants and shoppers, and by November 1986, its developers had decided to cut their losses.[11] Ownership was transferred in December 1987 to Allied Bank, the primary mortgage holder, as a deed in lieu of foreclosure.[12] The bank's property managers reoriented Catfish Town toward being an office park, based on a marketing study that found that Baton Rouge did not have the population or tourism base to support a festival marketplace.[13] The Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) was brought in as a tenant in December 1989, and would come to occupy more than half of the complex's leasable space.[14] [15]

Catfish Town was put up for sale in April 1992 by NAB Asset Corp., which had come to own the property through a series of bank reorganizations.[16] The RTC had given notice that it would vacate its offices in January 1993, but NAB hoped that the soon-to-be nearly vacant complex would be attractive to an owner-occupant. Louisiana had legalized riverboat casinos in July 1991, and multiple gaming operators had expressed interest in Catfish Town.

Licensing and construction (1993–2001)

The riverboat gaming law allowed up to 15 casino licenses to be issued and only to casinos located on certain rivers and lakes, including the Mississippi River.[17] The number of licenses to be issued in the Baton Rouge area became a matter of contention.[18] Baton Rouge city officials pushed for only one casino to be licensed, but the Louisiana Riverboat Gaming Commission decided to allow two casinos.

The casino was originally proposed by Jazz Enterprises, a company formed by several Louisiana and Nevada business people.[19] The casino boat would be docked at the 10acres Catfish Town complex, which Jazz had agreed to purchase for $3.25 million;[20] they would also spend $20 million to upgrade the complex.[21] A 400-room hotel was added to the plan as part of negotiations to gain the city's endorsement. Their proposal won the endorsement of Mayor Tom Ed McHugh and the city council, beating out three other casino applicants in the parish.[22] The Riverboat Gaming Commission gave preliminary approval to the casino in March 1993; the Commission awarded the other Baton Rouge license to Louisiana Casino Cruises (for what would become Casino Rouge, later named Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge).[23]

Summit Casinos had been tapped to manage the casino, but withdrew from the project and was replaced with Argosy Gaming.[24] Argosy would own 90 percent of the casino and up to 15 percent of the remainder of the project. The planned casino was then renamed from the Catfish Queen to the Belle of Baton Rouge, as Argosy planned to include the word "Belle" in all of the company's casinos' names.[25]

The project's prospects were cast into doubt when the Louisiana State Police decided to disregard the Riverboat Gaming Commission's preliminary decisions and evaluate the applicants on their economic potential, including a third proposal by developer Charles Lambert and Lady Luck Gaming to dock a casino boat at the Capitol House Hotel.[26] [27] Ultimately, however, the Jazz Enterprises proposal was ranked as the best out of the three, and it received final licensing approval in July 1994.[28]

During the licensing and construction process, several riverboat applicants, including Jazz Enterprises, were targeted by extortion schemes involving Governor Edwin Edwards.[29] Two associates of Edwards threatened to derail Jazz's project unless they were given a stake in the company.[30] A Jazz executive rebuffed their demands, and instead cooperated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to make recordings of the threats.[31] Edwards and his associates were convicted on federal racketeering charges in 2000 (though Edwards was acquitted of the charges directly involving Jazz).[32]

A separate legal battle over the Belle's licensing was waged by Lambert, who sued Jazz and Argosy for allegedly omitting important information from their application, and thereby improperly receiving a license that would otherwise have gone to the Lady Luck project.[33] [34] Lambert's litigation carried on until 2010, when the United States Supreme Court declined to review the dismissal of the case.[35] [36]

The casino opened on September 30, 1994.[37]

Argosy purchased Jazz Enterprises in June 1995 for $49 million (including $22 million in forgiven debt), gaining full ownership of Catfish Town and the Belle.[38] [39] Jazz had had a string of confrontations with the city government, culminating in a threat by the city to shut down the casino because construction had been suspended on the parking garage.[40] The sale to Argosy defused the issues and allowed construction to resume.[41]

The three-story Argosy Landing building, the project's first permanent land-based facility, opened in February 1995, featuring a bar, gift shop, and restaurant.[42] [43] The glass-enclosed Argosy Festival Atrium opened in April 1996.[44] The Belle's name was changed to Argosy Casino Baton Rouge in July 1999.[45] [46]

The casino's contract with the city had required construction of the hotel to begin by September 1996.[47] Since the deadline was missed, Argosy had been making penalty payments to the city of approximately $300,000 per month.[48] Construction of the hotel finally began in July 1999, ending the penalty payments.[49] The Sheraton Baton Rouge Convention Center Hotel opened at the property in February 2001, owned by Argosy and managed by Sheraton.

After completion (2002–present)

In November 2004, Penn National Gaming agreed to acquire Argosy Gaming.[50] The merger raised antitrust concerns because Penn National, which already owned Casino Rouge, would gain a monopoly on casinos in Baton Rouge.[51] In order to expedite approval for the merger from federal and state regulators, Penn National put the Argosy Baton Rouge up for sale.[52] Columbia Sussex agreed to buy the property for $150 million.[53] Penn National and Argosy completed their merger in October 2005.[54] Weeks later, Penn National closed on the sale of the casino to a Columbia Sussex affiliate[55] (which would later become an independent company, Tropicana Entertainment).[56] The property's name was then reverted to the Belle of Baton Rouge.[57]

The hotel dropped its affiliation with Sheraton in April 2010.[58] A $7-million renovation of the property was begun in 2011 to make it more competitive with the new L'Auberge Baton Rouge casino.[59]

In 2018, Gaming and Leisure Properties (GLP) acquired the real estate of the Belle of Baton Rouge and Eldorado Resorts (later Caesars Entertainment) acquired its operating business, under lease from GLP, as part of the two companies' acquisition of Tropicana Entertainment.[60] [61]

In 2020, Caesars agreed to sell the Belle's operating business to CQ Holding, the parent company of the Casino Queen in Illinois.[62] The sale was completed in May 2022.[63]

Finances

Each year, the casino reports its adjusted gaming revenue (total wagers placed, less the amount paid out for winning bets) to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.[64]

Sports

Boxing

On November 30, 2013, Regis Prograis fought Miguel Alvarez on a boxing card with Prograis winning with a TKO in the 3rd round.

See also

External links

30.4425°N -91.1895°W

Notes and References

  1. News: Belle of Baton Rouge cruises into town. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Curt Eysink. September 11, 1994. NewsBank.
  2. Form 10-K: Annual Report. Caesars Entertainment. March 1, 2021. 27. EDGAR.
  3. Form 10-K: Annual Report. Tropicana Entertainment. February 24, 2017. 7. EDGAR.
  4. News: Sheraton hotel opening marks new stage in downtown revival. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Chad Calder. February 6, 2001. NewsBank.
  5. News: Caesars Entertainment to sell Belle of Baton Rouge to Illinois-based company. The Advocate. Timothy Boone. December 2, 2020. 2021-12-29.
  6. Form 10-K: Annual Report. Argosy Gaming. March 31, 1997. 2. EDGAR.
  7. News: Lena Prima brings 'Pennies from Heaven' to Baton Rouge. The Advocate. Pam Bordelon. July 23, 2015. NewsBank.
  8. News: Photos from WFC 12 in Baton Rouge. Scene. New Orleans, LA. Catie Ragusa. November 5, 2013. 2017-09-10.
  9. News: Tonight's Catfish Town card on national television. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Scott Rabalais. June 24, 1997. NewsBank.
  10. News: Catfish Town two years old. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Sharon McRae. June 29, 1986. NewsBank.
  11. News: Hotel-office development still alive. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. November 11, 1986. NewsBank.
  12. News: City-parish signs agreement giving bank title to Catfish Town. State Times. Baton Rouge, LA. December 22, 1987. NewsBank.
  13. News: Catfish Town better suited for office park, study says. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. May 10, 1989. NewsBank.
  14. News: Catfish Town leases signed. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Bobby Lamb. December 9, 1989. NewsBank.
  15. News: 13 Catfish Town buildings up for sale. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Bobby Lamb. April 25, 1992. NewsBank.
  16. News: Federal agency rescues Catfish. New York Times. Lettice Stuart. April 14, 1991. 2017-08-03.
  17. News: Roemer OKs river gambling. Dallas Morning News. AP. July 20, 1991. NewsBank.
  18. News: Approval of 2 riverboat casinoo for BR doesn't float McHugh's boat. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Curt Eysink. March 13, 1993. NewsBank.
  19. News: Two more river casino operators courting BR. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Bobby Lamb. August 12, 1992. NewsBank.
  20. News: 4th application submitted for gambling boat. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Frank Main. January 20, 1993. NewsBank.
  21. News: BR gets "hard-nosed" on casino boat choice. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Curt Eysink. March 4, 1993. NewsBank.
  22. News: McHugh favors Jazz Enterprises. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Curt Eysink. March 17, 1993. NewsBank.
  23. News: Panel sets 2 casinos afloat in BR. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Curt Eysink. March 27, 1993. NewsBank.
  24. News: Argosy gives Jazz cash infusion. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Curt Eysink. July 8, 1993. NewsBank.
  25. News: Connors pops up in low-stakes gambling venture. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Fred Faust. March 21, 1994. NewsBank.
  26. News: BR riverboat controversy: C-P officials say wishes ignored. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Curt Eysink. April 5, 1994. NewsBank.
  27. News: Saga of BR riverboat race a lesson in persistance [sic]. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Greg Garland. July 4, 1994. NewsBank.
  28. News: Jazz, Casino Rouge licensed. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Curt Eysink. July 19, 1994. NewsBank.
  29. News: Edwardses' convictions upheld. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Christopher Baughman. Brett Barroquere. August 24, 2002. NewsBank.
  30. News: Pair called "partners" in extortion. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Adrian Angelette. March 11, 2000. NewsBank.
  31. News: Secret tapes reveal casino license threats. The Times-Picayune. New Orleans, LA. Manuel Roig-Franzia. March 9, 2000. NewsBank.
  32. News: Edwards guilty: Former governor convicted on 17 of 26 counts. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Christopher Baughman. May 10, 2000. NewsBank.
  33. News: Vindicated the hard way. 225 Magazine. July 31, 2007. 2017-08-19.
  34. Capitol House Preservation Co. LLC v. Perryman Consultants, Inc.. 47. So.3d . 408. La. App. 1st Cir.. 2009. https://caselaw.findlaw.com/la-court-of-appeal/1110953.html. 2017-08-19.
  35. Form 10-Q: Quarterly Report. Penn National Gaming. November 5, 2010. 19. EDGAR.
  36. News: La. high court may see case. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Joe Gyan Jr.. September 3, 2009. NewsBank.
  37. News: Roll 'em: Belle gamblers got what they came for. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Greg Garland. October 1, 1994. NewsBank.
  38. News: Panel to rule soon on Argosy's purchase of Jazz. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Scott Dyer. March 17, 1995. NewsBank.
  39. News: Argosy buys Jazz. Chicago Sun-Times. June 7, 1995. NewsBank.
  40. News: Problems of pact may close Belle. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Curt Eysink. November 30, 1994. NewsBank.
  41. News: Troubled Jazz cashes in its chips. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Curt Eysink. December 3, 1994. NewsBank.
  42. News: Belle's business falls. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Greg Garland. January 21, 1995. NewsBank.
  43. News: Argosy opens landing in Catfish Town. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Curt Eysink. March 1, 1995. NewsBank.
  44. News: Short "trips" at home open doors to a world of adventure. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Cynthia V. Campbell. April 7, 1996. NewsBank.
  45. News: Betting on poker: Belle hope to grab business from bars, eateries. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Ted Griggs. May 4, 1999. NewsBank.
  46. News: Riverboats flush with poker players. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. July 16, 1999. Scott Dyer. NewsBank.
  47. News: Parish attorney, Argosy Gaming spar over compromise. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Deann Smith. October 9, 1996. NewsBank.
  48. News: Argosy to unveil plans for new hotel. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Chad Calder. July 2, 1999. NewsBank.
  49. News: Hotel work begins - casino penalty ends. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Deann Smith. July 30, 1999. NewsBank.
  50. News: Merger to unite BR casino ownership. The Advocate. Timothy Boone. Chad Calder. November 5, 2004. NewsBank.
  51. Preserving competition for casino services in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, FTC clears Penn Nationals purchase of Argosy Gaming. Federal Trade Commission. July 27, 2005. 2017-08-12.
  52. News: Argosy Casino put up for sale. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Timothy Boone. April 27, 2005. NewsBank.
  53. News: Columbia Sussex buying La. casino. Cincinnati Post. Jon Newberry. June 23, 2005. NewsBank.
  54. News: Penn National nets 3 casinos in Argosy Gaming deal. The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA. Tom Dochat. October 4, 2005. NewsBank.
  55. News: Gaming giant sells casino. The Patriot-News. Harrisburg, PA. October 26, 2005. NewsBank.
  56. Form 10-K: Annual Report. Tropicana Entertainment. March 31, 2010. 4. EDGAR.
  57. News: Argosy name change to Belle to be gradual. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. December 6, 2005. NewsBank.
  58. News: Belle's hotel changes brands. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Gary Perilloux. April 14, 2010. NewsBank.
  59. News: $7 million revamp planned at Belle. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Chad Calder. April 13, 2011. NewsBank.
  60. News: Belle of Baton Rouge part of $1.85 billion sale of Tropicana Entertainment . The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Timothy Boone. April 16, 2018. 2018-10-14.
  61. News: Belle of Baton Rouge changes hands for $18 million as part of Tropicana acquisition. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Sam Karlin. October 5, 2018. 2018-10-14.
  62. News: Caesars selling Belle of Baton Rouge, leaving the company with three Louisiana casinos. CDC Gaming Reports. Howard Stutz. December 1, 2020. 2020-12-01.
  63. News: Belle of Baton Rouge finalizes sale, now both downtown riverboat casinos share an owner. The Advocate. Baton Rouge, LA. Timothy Boone. May 5, 2022. 2022-05-11.
  64. Web site: Annual Reports. Louisiana Gaming Control Board. 2022-01-17.