Houston billionaire's Lake Charles casino opens early
Photo By James Nielson / Houston Chronicle
Photo By James Nielsen/Houston Chronicle
Photo By James Nielsen/Houston Chronicle
LAKE CHARLES, La. -- On Monday, showgirls festooned in yellow preened with ceremonial scissors as Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta and a host of state and local officials officially opened the doors to the newest and perhaps glitziest casino here to date: the Golden Nugget.
Lake Charles Mayor Randy Roach drew cheers from the crowd when he opened his remarks by welcoming 'friends across the river.'
Chuck Cleckley, speaker of the Louisiana House, recalled his reaction when Fertitta bought the property for the Golden Nugget 16 months ago from Ameristar and presented his vision. 'I was sold,' he said.
And Ronnie Jones, chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, said the influx of construction and casino jobs have already been a boon.
'Lake Charles has already hit the jackpot,' he said.
Then, as streamers burst over the crowd, Fertitta himself toasted the crowd with glasses of champagne.
The casino actually unlocked the doors Sunday night, ahead of Monday's planned opening.
Locals and visitors who heard about the unadvertised opening through the grapevine got a change to check out the $700 million casino a bit ahead of others. A group a VIPs and guests also attended a test run of the casino Saturday night.
Construction crews rushed to put the finishing touches on the project and wait staff was in place to serve guests.
'I've been excited about this place opening ever since I first saw it announced on TV,' said Margo Linzer of Sugar Land, a regular gambler who made the three hour drive for the opening. 'I'm probably not going home tonight.'
All 740 rooms of the hotel have been reserved.
The project is Fertitta's fifth casino since he took over Golden Nugget casino and hotel properties in Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nev., nine years ago. He later bought and rebranded a Trump facility in Atlantic City, N.J., and he recently opened a casino in Biloxi, Miss.
Golden Nugget Casinos is a division of Landry's, a private company that Fertitta solely owns.
Less than a three-hour drive down Interstate 10, Lake Charles has long been a popular spot for Houston gamblers.
Fertitta previously said 50,000 of the 60,000 people who applied for players' cards before the opening casino are from Texas.
The Golden Nugget is next door to the existing casino and resort L'aubrege, owned by Pinnacle. A boardwalk and walkway now under construction will eventually create a path for visitors to easily travel back and forth between the spaces.
The 247-acre property includes an 18,000-square-foot ballroom, meeting space, restauarnts, bars and boutiques.
The spa, pool and lazy river, and beach front with volleyball courts and fire pits are still under construction. The 18-hole golf course opening in April. A private beach front and marina will accommodate vessels up to 206 feet.
The restaurants on site include Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse, Grotto Italian Ristorante, Lillie's Asian Cuisine, Saltgrass Steakhouse, Claim Jumper Restaurant, Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar and Landry's Seafood House.
The resort and casino also house eight boutiques and gift shops: Style & Trend, 1946, Riveted, Aqua, Luxe, Memento, Essentials Gift Shop and The Chocolate Box.
Monday's grand opening ceremomy features showgirls, as thousands of cars, many with Texas plates, jammed the parking lots.
Post a Comment for "Houston billionaire's Lake Charles casino opens early"