KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana |Will Lake Charles Lose A Casino License?

Will Lake Charles Lose A Casino License?

September 14, 2006
Reported by Vince Atkinson

Will Southwest Louisiana be losing one of its riverboat gaming licenses? That is a question people have been pondering the last few months. Pinnacle, the parent company of L'auberge du Lac, recently obtained control of the two gaming licenses that were previously used at Harrah's Lake Charles location. The company hopes to use one license to build a new casino next door to L'auberge du Lac, but what about the extra license? As of Thursday, we may have a clue.

A large track of land that reportedly was just purchased in Baton Rouge has left a lot of folks with raised eyebrows. The 35 acre piece of property is located just south of the LSU campus. According to Businessreport.com, the land was purchased for $1.13 million by Yankton Investments. Yankton appears to have close ties with Pinnacle Entertainment. Pinnacle has made no official statement regarding Yankton's purchase, but the company is reportedly in talks about buying 18 acres of land that adjoins the 35 acres.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board has set an October 29th deadline for Pinnacle to provide details on where and how it plans to re-establish operations of its riverboat.