Louisiana is a state where gaming runs deep — from the neon-lit casino corridors of Shreveport and Bossier City to the five-star resort complexes on the shores of Lake Charles. With 20+ casino properties regulated by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, riverboat tradition meets resort-class amenities. Explore the state's four gaming corridors and find your play.
Louisiana's commercial casino industry is one of the most diverse in the American South. The state operates under a unique multi-format structure: one land-based commercial casino (Caesars New Orleans), up to 15 licensed riverboat casinos, four racinos (slot machines at horse racing facilities), and four tribal gaming properties operating under federal compacts.
The two powerhouse gaming corridors are Shreveport/Bossier City in the northwest — home to six competing casino properties along the Red River — and Lake Charles in the southwest, where two world-class resort complexes have transformed the Gulf Coast into a legitimate destination market. The Baton Rouge and New Orleans markets round out a statewide gaming footprint that generates billions in annual gaming revenue and tens of thousands of jobs.
All commercial gaming is regulated by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB), a seven-member board appointed by the Governor. Tribal casinos operate under separate agreements with the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC).
The Shreveport/Bossier City metro is home to the most concentrated casino market in Louisiana — six properties strung along the Red River corridor compete for the same players, driving aggressive promotions, loyalty perks, and non-stop entertainment. With 19.2% year-over-year visitation growth, this northwest Louisiana gaming hub is on the rise.
Market Revenue Leader | Full-Service Resort
Jimmy Buffett's paradise meets Louisiana gaming at Margaritaville Resort Casino Bossier City — the current market revenue leader in the Shreveport/Bossier corridor. This island-themed resort casino delivers a full entertainment package: expansive gaming floor, resort hotel, pool complex, multiple restaurants, and signature Jimmy Buffett-inspired atmosphere that sets it apart from the riverboat competition.
Opened February 2025 | Land-Based Casino | New Market Entrant
The newest and most significant addition to the Louisiana gaming landscape: Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana opened its doors in Bossier City in February 2025, becoming one of the first major new casino developments in the state in years. Unlike its riverboat competitors on the Red River, Live! is a land-based facility — part of the Cordish Companies' nationally acclaimed Live! Casino brand — and posted over $51.6 million in adjusted gross revenue in its opening months, signaling a genuine shakeup of the Bossier City market.
Caesars Entertainment | Riverboat | Red River
One of the most recognized casino brands in America brings its table game expertise to the Red River corridor. Horseshoe Bossier City — part of the Caesars Entertainment network — offers classic riverboat gaming with the backing of the nation's largest casino operator and access to the Caesars Rewards program.
1,000+ slots | 30+ table games | Caesars Rewards | Red River riverboat
Visit Horseshoe Bossier City →Boyd Gaming | Riverboat | Shreveport
Sam's Town has been a fixture of the Shreveport casino scene for decades. Boyd Gaming's signature property offers a full hotel experience alongside solid gaming floors and a loyal regional player base. A reliable mid-tier option for players looking for value without sacrificing comfort.
1,000+ slots | Hotel rooms | Boyd Rewards | Shreveport riverboat
Visit Sam's Town Shreveport →Bally's Corporation | Riverboat | Shreveport
Bally's Shreveport brings the national Bally's brand to the Louisiana gaming market with a hotel property on the Red River. Part of Bally's Corporation's growing national casino portfolio, this property offers gaming, lodging, and dining for Shreveport/Bossier visitors seeking a full-service experience.
Riverboat casino | Hotel | Bally's Rewards | Shreveport
Visit Bally's Shreveport →Boyd Gaming | Riverboat | Bossier City
Boomtown Bossier City rounds out the six-property Shreveport/Bossier corridor with a reliable gaming floor and straightforward casino experience. Sister property to Boomtown New Orleans (covered at BestInNewOrleans.Casino), this Boyd Gaming riverboat is a staple of the local gaming market.
Slots | Table games | Boyd Rewards | Bossier City riverboat
Visit Boomtown Bossier City →All six properties are within 10–15 minutes of each other. Ask about multi-property crossover promotions — some players work the Caesars Rewards, Boyd Rewards, and Cordish Live! Rewards programs simultaneously. The Bossier City casino corridor is easily navigable in a single weekend.
Southwest Louisiana's Lake Charles corridor is the state's answer to a true resort gaming destination — two massive full-service casino resorts on the I-10 corridor, each with over 1,000 hotel rooms, championship golf, pools, spas, and dining collections that rival any casino market in the American South. This is where weekend getaways become annual traditions.
Operator: Boyd Gaming
Boyd Gaming's crown jewel and Louisiana's most iconic resort casino. L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles is the benchmark against which every regional casino resort is measured — a 26-story tower rising above Lake Charles with a world-class casino floor, full-service spa, lazy river, and the only Tom Fazio-designed public golf course attached to a Louisiana casino resort.
Hotel: 26-story resort tower
Casino: 70,000+ sq ft gaming floor — slots, table games, poker room
Golf: Tom Fazio-designed public golf course (only casino resort public golf course in Louisiana)
Pool: Lazy river and resort pool complex
Spa: Full-service resort spa
Dining: 7 dining options including steakhouse, casual restaurants, and bars
Entertainment: Live entertainment venue
Address: 777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles, LA 70601
Operator: Landry's / Post Oak Hotel Group
Golden Nugget Lake Charles is the bold challenger to L'Auberge's throne — and with 1,100 hotel rooms, it is actually larger. Opened in 2020 on the north shore of Lake Charles, this Landry's property brings Golden Nugget's Vegas-style energy to southwest Louisiana with a private marina, lakefront beach, 18-hole championship golf course, and a two-acre tropical pool complex complete with waterslides and a lazy river.
Hotel: 1,100 rooms (largest casino hotel in Louisiana)
Casino: 54,000+ sq ft gaming floor — slots, table games, poker room
Golf: 18-hole championship golf course
Marina: Private marina with lake access
Beach: Private lakefront beach
Pool: 2-acre tropical pool with waterslides and lazy river
Dining: Full-service restaurants and bars
Address: 2121 W Prien Lake Rd, Lake Charles, LA 70601
GETTING TO LAKE CHARLES: Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCH) offers connections from Dallas and Houston hubs. By car: 3 hours from New Orleans via I-10 East, 3.5 hours from Houston via I-10 West. Both L'Auberge and Golden Nugget offer complimentary airport shuttle service — call ahead to confirm availability. The two resorts are approximately 8 miles apart.
New Orleans is home to Caesars New Orleans — the ONLY land-based commercial casino in all of Louisiana — plus two additional riverboat casinos in the metro area (Boomtown Harvey and Treasure Chest Kenner). For the full New Orleans casino breakdown including the $435 million Caesars renovation, the 20-table WSOP Poker Room, Nobu Hotel Louisiana, and dining by Emeril Lagasse and Nina Compton:
Visit BestInNewOrleans.Casino →Louisiana's capital city hosts riverboat gaming options along the Mississippi River, serving the Baton Rouge metro market and capital region visitors. The Baton Rouge market provides convenient regional gaming for central Louisiana residents.
Operator: PENN Entertainment
Baton Rouge's premier casino hotel brings full-service gaming and lodging to the state capital. Multiple restaurant options, a hotel tower, and a full gaming floor make L'Auberge Baton Rouge the go-to destination for capital region casino visitors.
Address: 777 L'Auberge Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70820
Visit L'Auberge Baton Rouge →Louisiana's tribal gaming sector operates four properties under federal gaming compacts managed by four distinct tribal nations. These properties serve gaming markets in regions across the state and offer experiences distinct from the commercial casino corridors.
Tribe: Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana
The largest tribal casino resort in Louisiana. A self-contained resort destination with hotel, golf, spa, and gaming — making it a full weekend getaway two hours east of Lake Charles.
coushattacasinoresort.comTribe: Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana
Central Louisiana's premier tribal resort with 506 rooms, championship golf, a water park, and a full gaming floor. A destination property for inland Louisiana.
paragoncasinoresort.comTribe: Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana
Situated in the heart of Cajun country in the Atchafalaya Basin, Cypress Bayou offers slots, table games, and hotel accommodations in south-central Louisiana.
cypressbayou.comTribe: Jena Band of Choctaw Indians
Serving the central Louisiana (Cenla) regional market with slots and gaming in a convenient location for the Alexandria/Pineville area.
jenachoctawpinescasino.comMobile & Retail Sports Betting: LEGAL
Sports betting launched in Louisiana in January 2022 and is legal for mobile wagering in 55 of Louisiana's 64 parishes. Retail sportsbooks are available at licensed casino locations statewide.
Top apps active in Louisiana:
Retail sportsbooks are available on-site at major casino properties. Caesars New Orleans features a dedicated 5,700 sq ft Caesars Sportsbook.
Online Casino Gambling: PROHIBITED
Louisiana does NOT have legal online casino gambling. This applies to:
Sports betting apps are legal in eligible parishes. Online casino apps are NOT legal anywhere in Louisiana. There is no current enacted or imminent legislation to legalize iGaming in Louisiana.
Do not use apps or sites advertising 'online casino Louisiana' — these are operating illegally in the state.
Sports Betting Is NOT Universal Across Louisiana
Nine parishes voted against sports betting during the November 2020 ballot measure and do not permit sports wagering.
Parishes WHERE sports betting IS available include: Orleans (New Orleans), Caddo (Shreveport), Bossier, East Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge), Calcasieu (Lake Charles), Jefferson, St. Tammany, Lafayette, and most other major metro parishes.
Before downloading a sports betting app or visiting a retail sportsbook, confirm that you are in an eligible parish.
Age requirement: 21 and older for all sports betting in Louisiana.
Caesars New Orleans, the WSOP Poker Room, Boomtown, Treasure Chest — Louisiana's only land-based casino and the full New Orleans gaming scene.
Visit →Beau Rivage MGM, Hard Rock Biloxi, IP Casino, Scarlet Pearl — the Mississippi Gulf Coast casino corridor just 90 minutes east.
Visit →The premium casino operator and property network database. Find the game. Find the deal. Find the room.
Visit →For serious players. High-limit rooms, VIP programs, and whale-tier access mapped across America's top casino markets.
Visit →The master casino directory for the Vantage Corridor network. Every property. Every market. Every state.
Visit →America's top casino destinations ranked, reviewed, and mapped. The definitive national casino travel guide.
Visit →Gaming should always be entertainment — never a financial strategy. Louisiana's gaming industry operates under strict responsible gaming requirements. If you or someone you know is experiencing gambling-related problems, free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at no cost.
Available: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Cost: Free and completely confidential
Operated by: Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling (LACG)
www.helpforgambling.orgThe Louisiana Association on Compulsive Gambling provides free counseling referrals, treatment placement assistance, and family support resources for problem gamblers and those affected by a loved one's gambling throughout Louisiana.
Set a time limit before you enter the casino
Only gamble with money you can afford to lose
Take regular breaks and never chase your losses
BestInLouisiana.Casino is an independent informational guide only. We do not facilitate gambling transactions, accept wagers, or endorse any specific gambling behavior. Must be 21 or older to enter Louisiana casinos. Gaming involves risk of financial loss. Play responsibly.