The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana announced a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of its Coushatta Casino Resort, a casino complex near Kinder. The ceremony is set to take place on March at 10 am and will celebrate the construction of a new eight-story hotel.

According to the announcement, the new hotel will sport some 204 rooms and 100 suites and will be connected to the casino. This will provide visitors with easy access to the gaming area, allowing them to enjoy the tribe’s gaming offerings.

For reference, the casino offers some 2,000 slot games and over 55 table games, meaning that in addition to cutting-edge slots, visitors can enjoy games, such as poker and bingo. The casino resort is also equipped with a sportsbook, allowing visitors to place wagers on sporting events.

By boosting the capacity of the resort, the Coushatta Tribe will be able to accommodate more guests, while creating new jobs for people in the locale. The new luxury hotel will bring the total capacity of the Coushatta Casino Resort to more than 1,000 rooms.

The Tribe Wants to Provide Guests with Premium Lodging

The groundbreaking ceremony will be attended by many notable representatives of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, including Coushatta Tribal Council chairman Jonathan Cernek and Coushatta Casino Resort general manager Todd Stewart. In addition, the event will welcome representatives of TBE Architects, Yates Construction and the Wenaha Group.

The ceremony will be held at the Sculpture Garden in front of the Seven Clans Hotel. The program will include Coushatta Tribe dancers and drummers and a cake-cutting ceremony. The event will be open to the public.

Jonathan Cernek, chairman of the Coushatta Tribal Council, expressed his excitement about the upgrade, saying that he is looking forward to the completion of the new hotel and to welcoming its first guests. He said that the tribe’s goal is to offer an elevated gaming experience to players by providing them with high-quality lodging and premium dining options.

Cernek added:

The Coushatta Tribe is leading the way in building an unsurpassed resort destination, both in the local market and in the entire region.

Jonathan Cernek, chair, Coushatta Tribal Council

Speaking of tribal gaming, tribal organizations recently held the 4th Annual Tribal Cybersecurity Summit. During the event, experts raised the problem of the human element being the greatest vulnerability faced by tribes.

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The move comes after Penn Entertainment confirmed its plans to put down an additional $850 million on various expansion moves, which will not only apply to the M Resort, but also cover other of the company’s properties outside Nevada.

Penn Entertainment Gets Started with M Resort Expansion

As to M Resort, Penn has earmarked $206 million of its purse to expand the property as it expected higher demand for gaming and accommodation. Penn is looking at adding 384 rooms, which will bring the total to 774, as confirmed in an official statement.

The property will also update the amenities and expand meeting spaces. Although the company does not own the property, the buck is on the operator of the venue to ensure that it remains competitive through innovations and refurbishments, including expansions.

Based in Henderson, the venue is in a good position to use its refreshed look to siphon off tourists and visitors from competing properties and further establish itself as a local leader in a contested market. The M Resort expansion should go business as usual with Penn Entertainment expecting no disruptions in its planned realization schedule.

Construction should begin by late January or early February, and it should take the working crews around 18 months to bring the expanded property to completion.

M Resort VP and general manager Hussain Mahrous has welcomed the opportunity to see the local property continue to grow and added that the operator was excited to hire more people and contribute to the local job market.

“We look forward to hiring new team members and expanding the wonderful offerings that make M Resort a premier destination for visitors and convention attendees from across the country,” Mahrous explained.

Operating at Capacity, Time to Meet Demand

Mahrous also commented on the recent motivation to expand the M Resort property. Essentially, the property is running at capacity on busy weekends in Las Vegas, as highlighted by a string of recent events, and more prominent gatherings coming to pass in future years, including the Super Bowl at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 2024.

M Resort will certainly not be on time to meet demand for the Super Bowl, but Las Vegas and Nevada continue to draw well-heeled tourists that M Resort simply doesn’t want to miss out on. Expanding its capacity to meet this surging and sustained demand is what the company pursues right now.

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This initiative is a part of the Ohio Lottery’s “Time Out Ohio” program designed to assist individuals grappling with gambling problems. The most significant development is expanding the state’s self-exclusion program to include online wagering, significantly bolstering its scope and effectiveness. This latest development highlights Ohio’s efforts to balance stakeholder interests with player safety.

The Software Represents a Significant Advancement

Expanding its support for responsible gaming, the Ohio Lottery Commission now introduces a new software solution from the safe gambling organization Gamban to prevent individuals from placing bets on various devices. This initiative is a natural evolution of the Lottery Commission’s self-exclusion program, which currently extends to physical casinos and other specific durations.

“Time Out Ohio” offers self-exclusion options for individuals, ranging from one year to a lifetime ban. Players who breach the self-exclusion agreement by entering a casino may face penalties, including forfeiting gambling chips or slot tickets, being forced to leave the premises, and facing potential criminal trespass charges.

The newly introduced Gamban software will block access to popular betting sites like FanDuel, Unibet, Bally’s, and WagerScore in the US for one year. It will be readily available at no cost to individuals suffering from gambling harm, reflecting Ohio’s proactive approach to addressing the challenges posed by the rapidly growing mobile gambling landscape.

Ohio’s Balanced Approach Should Serve as an Example

Amanda Blackford, director of operations and Responsible Gaming at the Ohio Lottery Commission, noted that Gamban would be invaluable for individuals struggling with online gambling, as its protection includes illegal gambling platforms beyond the Commission’s jurisdiction. Gamban co-founder Matt Zarb-Cousin agreed with this sentiment, lauding Ohio’s proactive attitude.

We hope other states will follow the lead of Ohio, which has been incredibly forward-thinking at a time when mobile sports betting across the US is growing rapidly.

Matt Zarb-Cousin, Gamban co-founder

This newest initiative aligns with Ohio’s efforts to protect consumers while encouraging a thriving and sustainable gambling industry. November saw the Buckeye State introduce new restrictions on gambling advertisements, promotional offers, and bonuses. Meanwhile, a new bill proposed cutting gambling operator gross receipts tax from 20% to a more industry-friendly 10%, highlighting this balanced approach.

The new update to “Time Out Ohio” represents a significant stride in harnessing technology to provide critical support and protection for individuals dealing with gambling addiction, not only within the legal gambling spectrum but also across unauthorized and potentially harmful online platforms. Other states should follow this example, prioritizing customer safety without stifling industry growth.

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The Cordish Companies is set to begin construction on its new Louisiana property in two weeks. The groundbreaking ceremony for Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana is set to take place on December 13 and will see the company’s chairman and president personally take part.

The new $270 million property will mark The Cordish Companies’ gambling foray into Louisiana. The Pelican State represents the third commercial gaming state for the company.

Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana will replace the former DiamondJacks Casino Resort in Bossier City. The property was acquired by The Cordish Companies from Foundation Gaming for an undisclosed price earlier this year. By securing the property, Cordish also secured the venue’s gambling license, allowing it to launch its own operations.

The DiamondJacks Casino Resort is one of Louisiana’s riverboat properties. Because of a number of devastating hurricanes and storms, the state, which originally only allowed gambling on riverboats, allowed them to move on land.

However, the resort closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the end, the former owner of the property, Peninsula Pacific Entertainment, decided to move to another location. After failing to get a project approved, the company sold DiamondJacks to Foundation Gaming.

The Refurbished Property Will Create Jobs and Generate Millions in Taxes

Now that brick-and-mortar gaming is okay in Louisiana, The Cordish Companies will reimagine the gambling venue as a land-based casino. In the meantime, the developer will redevelop and modernize the hotel, turning the property into a cutting-edge resort.

The groundbreaking ceremony on December 13 will be attended by Cordish chair David Cordish and Cordish’s Gaming Group and Live! Casinos president Rob Norton.

The redeveloped casino is expected to open in early 2025. In an interview with gambling news outlet Casino.org, The Cordish Companies said that the renovated property should generate more than $35 million in gaming taxes for the city and over $168 million in gaming taxes for the state within five years of operation.

The renewed casino resort will feature a 500-room hotel with several restaurants. Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana should thus create approximately 750 new jobs and will also provide contract opportunities to local businesses.

The Cordish Companies currently operates a number of gambling properties, including Live! Casino & Hotel Maryland, Live! Casino & Hotel Philadelphia and Live! Casino Pittsburgh.

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