Harrah’s New Orleans was built on the presumption that it would have neither hotel rooms nor restaurant, thereby not sapping the businesses around it. Through some clever 
— one might even say Machievallian — maneuvers by then-CEO Phil Satre, both restrictions were overturned. Now Caesars Entertainment CEO Mark Frissora is trying a similar gambit, requesting permission to build a 24-story hotel tower. It would be built in a style intended to harmonize with the buildings in the immediate area, and would have a nightclub and more restaurants. The $340 million expansion, would not, however, have additional gaming positions. While you might expect this initiative to go down like a load of coal with Harrah’s competitors, it’s not. In fact, “There seems to be a lot of support,” said state Rep. Walt Leger III (D). State Senate President John Alario (R) is also supportive but has a caveat: “I’d like to know: What else is involved? I just want to make sure the state’s interest is protected. I always like to see the fine print.” He does well to be concerned, as Satre was a master of the fine print, to the detriment of the state’s political establishment.
The hotel addition is thought to be a done deal since it has the backing of Speaker of the House Taylor Barras (R). Other aspects of the hotel would be a rooftop pool and a canopy over Fulton Street, to facilitate open-air entertainment, Caesars says it needs a new hotel because its current one is booked to the rafters, forcing it to send potential guests elsewhere. As for the eschewal of a 
casino expansion, that’s a sop to lawmakers who frown upon gambling. As state Rep. Sherman Mack (R) says, “I’m not in favor of expanding gaming. But it’s my understanding it’s not.” As for getting the approval of the city, Caesars is offering to assume the costs of additional police and fire services for the next decade. It might have to pony up more to get Mayor Mitch Landrieu‘s support. Incoming City Council member Helena Moreno (D) likes the subsidy — provided that it’s indefinite.
Elsewhere in Louisiana — Bossier City, to be precise — a casino is contemplating up and moving to the southern part of the state and away from the intense competition of its current location. But couldn’t Diamond Jacks just wait until the Legislature decides on whether to allow casinos to come ashore? Evidently not. Owner Peninsula Pacific also 
can’t go anywhere unless the voters of the parish in question give it the go-ahead at the polls. The mooted locale is Tangipahoa Parish. Making the first overture, Peninsula Pacific wrote, “Louisianans deserve the best and we look forward to creating a destination that is both fun, successful and rewarding to the community and the state.” Since Diamond Jacks isn’t exactly an economic powerhouse in its current location, ownership may have to make a stronger case than it currently has.
In case you missed it, Laguna Pueblo‘s deal for Isle Grand Palais on Lake Charles has turned turtle. That leaves incoming owner Penn National Gaming the question of whether two maintain two properties on Lake Charles (L’Auberge du Lac being the other) or trying to find a new buyer. Wouldn’t it be ironic if the suitors included Caesars, which wrongheadedly sold out of Lake Charles during the Gary Loveman era?
