Pinnacle Plans BR Casino/Hotel

[dan326]

Some how I knew they would win. I hope they do something nice.

[buckett5425]

Oh god, Pinnacle wins..............

The current BR casinos did a horrible job of selling the ideas why the casino shouldnt be built on gardiere. I would talk to freinds who would say,"yea, i think the casino is a great idea," and then i would explain to them why its a horrible location and would fill them in on the rest of the FACTS and they would completely agree with me. Im not againt gambling, and i welcome the development, just not in the suburbs, It should have been built downtown. The br casino's claimed that the new casino will be in a neighborhood with churches and school, which is true. Pinnacle came right back and said that the already existing casinos were even closer to schools and churches, which is also true. But the difference is, is that downtown is an entertainment district and it is expected that such activites should take place and be welcomed. But pinnacle is building their casino in the suburbs, which isnt a 24 zone, the suburbs are for families. I think if the existing casinos would have aired commericals explaining that they are trying to revitalize downtown, while pinnacle is just furthering urban sprawl, people might have responded better. Instead, people probably assumed that the people voteing NO were against gambling and were just bigots, and while im sure a few people were, i think most of them had the same mentality that the location is horrible. Also, pinnacle claims to imporve traffic, Yea, we will see, im sure they will build a nice huge interestion to enter their property, and thats it! what about all the roads leading to their property, are they going to 4 lane nicholson? I doubt it! Now I do understand such a small casino isnt going to create much traffic, and it wont be during peak times, but im sure it will be a noticable change that will need to be addressed, espically since the whole area will now exploded with developement, bringing even more cars to the area. Hopefully a new loop will help solve some of these issues of getting people to the casino with out driving down bluebonnet and essen, which are already bad enough.

Sorry, I just needed to rant, I am really frustrated that this passed. But hopefully they will build something decent and it wont be that much of a waste, and i suppose the compitition will also be good. Also, sorry for the typos, lol

Also, ranting on again and there is no need to comment, but why do people keep voteing for huckabee, it makes are state look backwards, like we are full of a bunch of bible thumpers that want to stay in the past. All of the four remaining candidates are jokes, and have really made me apathetic towards voteing next year. You basically have to vote for the lesser of two evils....

[twstdndmntd]

I'm not surprised it passed I figured it would. I am, however, surprised that the large margin that it did pass by. I thought for sure it would have been closer.

Buckett, as far as voting for the lesser of two evils. I have been doing that since 2000 and I suppose I'll have to continue doing it.

[cajun]

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/15487161.html

Sorry to hear that it passed:

Now let's tax the hell out of them.

Maybe competition will make the downtown casinos nicer. None of this would have happened if they supplied a decent product. I guess they brought it on themselves....the fact that Pinnacle can come in and build a crummy casino with a little hotel out in the middle of a residential area and expect to survive is a testament to how poor competitors the downtown casinos are. Pinnacle obviously doesn't think to much of them, because they have scaled down their efforts so much.

If I ran one of the downtown Riverboats, I'd make sure that I had a bigger, nicer boat and a fancier hotel. Visibility is key for this industry. If I was Casino Rouge (whatever it's called now), I'd make sure that I had a glitzy hotel tower visible from the bridge and a massive boat. They can't afford to just be "that other boat" now that Pinnacle is here.

[byrde]

I for one supported Pinnacle and I'm glad they won. This will produce construction jobs that are always needed in our area. It will also employ people in the long term in the hotel, restaurants, gaming floor, etc. As long as we have legal gambling, I say the more the merrier. Nothing like competition from people in the entertainment field to fight for my dollar. We still live in America and capitalism is king. This whole deal about traffic is a bunch of crap. There is NO traffic out there now along River Road. Nothing but bicycles and a tractor every now and then. The casino's couldn't say they were doing anything to help bring life back to downtown. They have been there for a decade have done very little to attract the non-gambler down there. If you don't gamble, there is nothing else to do there. The food is not great, very rare that they have national entertainers. Both could have partnered with the River Center to bring in the people that Pinnacle has attracted to Lake Charles, a city by the way that is half the size of BR. Maybe now the boats downtown will step up to the plate and improve their product.

[dimebag1980]

Here's a thought: let's NOT tax the hell out of them, seriously. Louisiana already is tied with Illinois for having the highest taxes on casinos... if you tax them any more they can't stay in business. And that's not what capitalism is all about, is it?

The only reason Louisiana will NEVER have anything that resembles Biloxi, Atlantic City, or Vegas is because of our taxation rates and our ridiculous state limit of 14 (or is it 15? I can't remember now) available licenses. Shreveport-Bossier, Lake Charles, and Baton Rouge could very well resemble Las Vegas, Reno, and Laughlin by now if our state hadn't put such ridiculous laws into effect to keep gambling to a minimum.

Steve Wynn - yes, the huge casino owner who developed the Golden Nugget, The Mirage and the Bellagio - once proposed a huge, lavish Mirage Resort to be built on Cane's Landing in Bossier City, just steps from where the Bass Pro Shop now sits. Imagine a lavish Mirage Resort right next to the Boardwalk... complete with a huge 500-room hotel, shops similar to Caesars' Forum Shoppes in Vegas, and an 18-hold golf course. This was a done deal... until the state kept delaying the vote and putting him off. Do you know what Wynn said? TO HELL WITH LOUISIANA! He waited through 2-3 years of this state's BS before he finally had enough and took his proposal off the board. Without the ridiculous laws and high taxes that we have on the gambling industry in this state, that one project would have been the catalyst for enormous casino growth and expansion in this region, and people would be saying "Biloxi who? I'm going to Shreveport." I promise you that... we were perfectly positioned for that.

Lake Charles and Baton Rouge also could have had very similar proposals and could have risen to become large gambling markets similar to what Biloxi is now. Baton Rouge would be catering to New Orleans area visitors, Lake Charles to southeast Texas (as it currently is) and Shreveport to North Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Northern Mississippi, etc. This very well was likely for all these regions had our state not been stupid in their laws governing this industry. Stupid, Louisiana, STUPID. But should we be surprised? Hell no... that's the Louisiana we've all come to know and expect. Bummer.

Fortunately, despite our retarded state government, we're still getting excellent press in some publications. See here: http://www.tradeshowweek.com/article/CA6528926.html. I found this by accident while trying to find the remnants of Steve Wynn's proposal... which I have been unable to locate but I wish I could. That proposal was as lavish as anything in Las Vegas. Bummer again.

Edited: Somehow I said Lafayette in this when I meant Baton Rouge. I fixed it now... I'M SORRY, BATON ROUGE!!

[BRPJ]

yes, if anything, I think this is the time for the downtaon casino's to get more competitive, and build something spectacular. Bcuz pinnacle's casino is so average at best

[buckett5425]

yes, if anything, I think this is the time for the downtaon casino's to get more competitive, and build something spectacular. Bcuz pinnacle's casino is so average at best

I agree. If the Hollywood gets their new 100,000 sq ft boat, and maybe even build a hotel, It will be just as nice, or nicer then anything pinnacle plans on building. Being in downtown could also become an assest, but pinnacle is still closer to all the shopping. Whos knows.

Also, widening nicholson from burbank to just past brightside is part of the green light plan. Now that the new casino will be built, do you think they will widen nicholson to bluebonnet and move it up in priority? If not, they need to, because if they dont do it now, they will have to do it when the whole area is developed, which means an even bigger mess.

[twstdndmntd]

Yeah I think the downtown casino's really need to step up the game. When Pinnacle is done it's going to be sink or swim with the 2 down there. They are in a great position at this moment, they know Pinnacle is coming and they have a few years before it is completed. I think they need to start now with some major upgrades. Both of them need bigger hotels and better entertainment. They each bookend the downtown area. I really think they should work together and come up with something unique to downtown. I think a cool idea would be a small trolley service that goes just on River Rd to and from each casino. That way any patrons that aren't from the area but staying in their hotels would have a way to get around downtown and no cost to them.

[byrde]

The Belle is in a better situation to compete with Pinnacle. They already have a hotel, they are near the River Center and they have already put the glass roof on top of Catfish Town. There was a time when they had a nice club down there that had live bands. They drew nice crowds, but Argosy shut the place down. I don't remember the details, but they need get something like that back in the Atrium to attract a crowd.

[yis2003yis]

This whole deal about traffic is a bunch of crap. There is NO traffic out there now along River Road. Nothing but bicycles and a tractor every now and then. The casino's couldn't say they were doing anything to help bring life back to downtown. They have been there for a decade have done very little to attract the non-gambler down there. If you don't gamble, there is nothing else to do there. The food is not great, very rare that they have national entertainers. Both could have partnered with the River Center to bring in the people that Pinnacle has attracted to Lake Charles, a city by the way that is half the size of BR. Maybe now the boats downtown will step up to the plate and improve their product.

thank u....u hit da spot on point

[buckett5425]

Its not the traffic along river road that is going to be a problem, of course nothing is out there. Its the traffic on Nicholson, Gardiere, Bluebonnet, and Essen that may become an issue, because people will use those arteries to get to the casino. But, I do agree that the traffic caused by the casino wont be during rush hour, thank god, but it still could have an impact. Regardless, Nicholson needs to be four-laned past Bluebonnet, because If they dont do it now, they will need to in 10 years, south br is going to explode along that corridor, especially if the loop allows quick access to southern br, which would be great, minus the fact that it only compounds the problem of urban sprawl, lol.

[southeastBR]

Yeah I think the downtown casino's really need to step up the game. When Pinnacle is done it's going to be sink or swim with the 2 down there. They are in a great position at this moment, they know Pinnacle is coming and they have a few years before it is completed. I think they need to start now with some major upgrades. Both of them need bigger hotels and better entertainment. They each bookend the downtown area. I really think they should work together and come up with something unique to downtown. I think a cool idea would be a small trolley service that goes just on River Rd to and from each casino. That way any patrons that aren't from the area but staying in their hotels would have a way to get around downtown and no cost to them.

I agree, a trolley between the two ,and also some nice hotels,like the ones in Shreveport. The Belle and Hollywood need to something if they hope to sustain a perminant residence downtown. They also need some better entertainment. They do dump a lot of money into the city-parish, but they could improve thier facilities.

[dimebag1980]

A trolley would be a stellar idea... 14 years later we've yet to provide a decent service to run people between the casinos here. There was the water taxi idea, but that ended about as fast as it started.

I like the trolley idea.

For the record, it was YEARS before our casinos got top-notch entertainment, but they finally did. Horseshoe just brought Reba & Kelly Clarkson to Bossier, and that casino is also bringing Puddle of Mudd in as well. Usually the casinos bring acts like The Doobie Brothers, BB King, etc, but finally they are bringing in more modern acts as well. It's good to see.

But I say all this so you know it may take a while... and a lot of competition. When we had 1-2 casinos they just didn't have much of that competitive spirit. Having this third casino in your market really might crank up the casino scene! They will all be more in tune to the competition and try to one-up one another in every aspect. That might play out to be very exciting, so it will be interesting to watch.

[richyb83]

Are Pinnacle's plans for BR in jeopordy??? It wouldn't hurt my feelings.

Pinnacle drops Kansas casino; no comment on BR

Spokeswoman Pauline Yoshihashi declined to comment late Tuesday on whether the state of the financial markets might lead to delays in Pinnacle

[southeastBR]

Yeah, it wouldn't hurt my feelings either. With all these investment institutions,and Banks going down because of their on greed and stupidity,I hate to say it but it will strain a lot of projects for us. Not to get off subject of Pinnacle,but Preis will have an even harder time now getting funds. He should have built Riverplace before Katrina, he would of had every unit sold! I say we just focus on Downtown,get Holden's plans approved for the RiverCenter, and all the other things. We defenitly need to build Downtown up as much as can,as soon as we can!

[richyb83]

Yeah I'm afraid you are right seBR. Pries will have a harder time getting funds; I just wonder if he was able to get some of the funding already, before all of this?? I know he has alot invested in RiverPlace. I wish the tower would have started before Katrina/Rita.

I guess at this point a large project like RiverPark might struggle to get off the ground too??

At least Perkins Rowe got up and running before all of this madness!

[richyb83]

Is this really going to happen???

Gaming Board to consider Riviere plans

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board will consider the architectural blueprints and plans for Pinnacle Entertainment

[richyb83]

Oh boy....I would glady trade this proposed casino away in favor of Audubon ALIVE! If this does ever get built; I have trouble seeing this getting past the 1st Phase with the cheezy Micro-hotel....

Pinnacle says River Road casino resort project still on

A spokeswoman for Pinnacle Entertainment says the company is going ahead with plans to build its Riviere casino resort on River Road. "We're continuing to work on the design and with planning and zoning," says Pauline Yoshihashi, a spokeswoman for the Las Vegas-based casino company. Over the weekend, WAFB-TV reported that plans for the $250 million resort appeared to have stopped. In October, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board accepted Pinnacle's blueprints and construction schematics for its Riviere casino and set a Feb. 18 deadline for the company to negotiate and submit construction contracts. Officials with the gaming control board say they have heard no news of Pinnacle halting work on the casino. Riviere is scheduled to open in late 2010 or early 2011. Pinnacle is building a second casino in Lake Charles, Sugarcane Bay, but in recent months the company has halted plans to manage a casino in Kansas and build a resort in Atlantic City, N.J.

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/dai...009/jan/26/784/

[dan326]

If you notice they said that they are still working on the design, which probably translates to they are scaling it back. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up looking like the Red Lion Inn.

[dan326]

Am I the only one who thinks they are trying to hide a disappointing design by only showing this small portion of the rendering?

"Pinnacle wins delay on BR casino

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board on Tuesday granted Pinnacle Entertainment a 90-day delay on construction timelines for its proposed riverboat casinos in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles.

The board unanimously approved the Las Vegas company

[richyb83]

Yeah Dan, I kinda thought the same thing. And about the 90-day delay?? 90 YEAR delay sounds better to me!

[richyb83]

Looks like they are still serious about this?? After all the delays they are still moving forward?? Rezoning; numerous road improvements/extensions...at least the latest rendering looks a little better...Will be suprised if anything more than Phase I gets built. Still think two riverboat casino's are plenty for BR.

Pinnacle pursues rezoning; Panel to hear proposal Monday

Built under the original set of regulations, the downtown casinos were both designed to resemble steam-powered riverboats, and were required to cruise in the Mississippi River when they first began operating.

Pinnacle

[dan326]

I guess it's ok., the design of the hotel looks a little dated.

[dan326]

We'll see...

News Alert: Pinnacle announces plans for expanded Baton Rouge casino

Pinnacle Entertainment says it will open a $357 million casino resort on River Road by December 2011. Pinnacle's investment is significantly larger than the $250 million resort it had previously planned. The Las Vegas-based company says it will double the size of the hotel on the property to 200 rooms, and it will add another 257 slot machines and table games to the casino barge, bringing the total number of slots and table games to 1,857 on the 30,000-square-foot barge.

The resort, previously known as Riviere, also will feature amenities that had previously been announced, including three restaurants, a casino bar, a multi-purpose entertainment and events center with seating for up to 1,400 people and an outdoor festival area with room for 2,500 people.

Pinnacle President/CEO Anthony Sanfilippo says the improvements will make the Baton Rouge casino more of a regional destination. He says studies show a "very significant" portion of the Baton Rouge population bypasses the two downtown casinos to gamble on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. "The expanded scope of our project will address this customer demand with a high-quality entertainment option that will be significantly closer to potential guests," he says.

In April, Pinnacle announced it was scrapping plans for a second Lake Charles casino to concentrate on the Baton Rouge resort. At the time, Sanfilippo said the company was considering boosting the size of the Baton Rouge property. The casino is expected to create 1,000 new jobs, and Pinnacle has plans to spend years developing the 575-acre site. To see the latest rendering of the casino resort, click here.

From businessreport.com