"Coming soon." That is how Louisiana's gaming regulators said the new name should be marketed, if they allowed marketing at all before the change, with the property presented as Boomtown New Orleans "until the official name change takes effect." Staff gave that recommendation at the August 20, 2026 Louisiana Gaming Control Board hearing. The same staff presentation put the opening of the new landside casino in Harvey in "the middle of 2029."
That language is the best guide to what the big announcement means for anyone who lives near Peters Road. The board approved the move in August, but construction still needs another board vote, and gaming can't start in the new building until the state signs off on its readiness. In the meantime, the casino stays as it is. The Boomtown your neighbors already know is the one Harvey will have for roughly the next three years.
What the announcement promised
On August 17, 2026, PENN Entertainment announced a plan to replace the riverboat with a roughly $195 million, 140,000-square-foot casino on land, next to the existing hotel, under a new name, Hollywood Casino New Orleans. Opening is expected in 2029, and the plan is subject to regulatory approval. Once the new building opens, the riverboat will be vacated. The hotel is expected to stay open.
The jump in scale is easier to see side by side. Per WWL's report, Boomtown has been on the Harvey Canal since 1994.
| Boomtown today | Hollywood Casino New Orleans, as planned | |
|---|---|---|
| Slots and video poker | More than 700 | About 875 |
| Table games | More than 20 | 45 |
| Size | About 30,000 sq ft of gaming space | 140,000 sq ft building |
| Betting | The Sportsbook | Retail sportsbook |
| Other | Live poker room | VIP lounge, bars, restaurants including a steakhouse |
| Staff | Not reported | About 475 employees |
One caution on that size row. The current figure measures gaming floor space and the planned figure measures the whole building, so the two numbers don't compare directly. They still show how much bigger the new place is meant to be.
The current property draws about 60,000 to 70,000 visits a month and took in roughly $104.6 million from July 2025 through June 2026, according to Louisiana State Police data cited by WWL. That traffic is already on Peters Road every month. The new building doesn't bring it. PENN hasn't published a forecast of how many visits the larger building will draw.
What the approval actually allows
The Gaming Control Board's minutes say the motion to approve Boomtown's relocation petition passed unanimously on August 20, 2026. That was three days after the announcement.
The hearing transcript describes two more gates. Under the approval, the licensee can "begin construction subject to further Board approval," and gaming at the new building can start only after the state's gaming division decides that staffing, training, security, surveillance, and technical accounting and controls are acceptable.
The parish side is quiet too. Jefferson Parish's West Bank Planning Advisory Board agendas for September 10 and October 8, 2026 list other cases and have no Boomtown item. Those two agendas aren't a full search of permits or council actions. Still, no groundbreaking date has been announced.
Here is where things stand as of October 12, 2026:
| Date | Step | Status |
|---|---|---|
| August 17, 2026 | PENN announces the plan | Done |
| August 20, 2026 | Gaming Control Board approves the relocation petition | Done, unanimous |
| September 10 and October 8, 2026 | West Bank Planning Advisory Board meetings | No Boomtown item on either agenda |
| November 5, 2026 | PENN releases third-quarter results and holds its call | Scheduled |
| Not yet set | Further board approval to start construction | Pending |
| Middle of 2029 | Expected opening, after the gaming division signs off | Projected |
The November 5 date is the next one to watch. PENN announced the earnings release and conference call on October 5. It's the first scheduled chance for the company to say more about timing.
Why the land move is a pattern, not a surprise
Harvey isn't the first stop on this route. NOLA.com's coverage placed Boomtown among a growing group of Louisiana riverboat casinos moving onto land. The closest example is Treasure Chest in Kenner, which opened a new $100 million building on land in 2024. Bally's Baton Rouge, formerly the Belle of Baton Rouge, made a $141 million move. NOLA.com notes that PENN's spending in Harvey outpaces most of the recent projects.
PENN has done this elsewhere too. The company lists Aurora and Joliet as recent openings on land and expects Council Bluffs in 2028. Kathryn Jenkins, Boomtown's vice president and general manager, told NOLA.com the company is "proud to make this significant investment in Jefferson Parish and create a new destination that will serve our guests and the community for years to come."
For anyone on the West Bank, Kenner is the useful comparison. It's the one recent land move in the metro that's already finished and open.
What's still running on Peters Road this fall
None of the announcement changes what's on offer this month. Boomtown's own dining page lists four spots, and none of them is a buffet.
- NOLA Steak, the sit-down room, with live music every Friday and Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m.
- Asia, the property's Asian restaurant
- Bayou Market Express, the quick-service option
- The Sportsbook, the game-day spot
The bigger draw for a night out is Boomers, the entertainment venue in the main building. Groups can book a table, and the $100 package seats eight and comes with two buckets of beer, seltzer or soda. The next two Saturdays are booked:
- October 17, Louisiana Landfall, 8 p.m. to midnight
- October 24, Contraflow, playing classic rock, 8 p.m. to midnight
Doors open at 7 p.m., and there's no cover all night. These are live, undated listings on the casino's site, so check the page before you go in case hours or bookings change.
Getting there on October 17
The Louisiana Landfall Saturday overlaps with a parish road closure, but not at the same hours. Jefferson Parish will close all lanes of the Lapalco Boulevard Bridge over the Harvey Canal from 6 a.m. to noon on Saturday, October 17, 2026, to replace the fuel tank for the bridge's generator. Drivers will detour to the Westbank Expressway. The work is set to finish by noon, weather permitting, well before Boomers opens its doors at 7. Morning errands that day that usually cross the canal on Lapalco will take the Expressway instead.
There's also a longer project on the Harvey road map. Street-panel replacement on Jupiter Street between Colombo Drive and Harvey Boulevard began September 14, 2026, and is scheduled to run through January 4, 2027. One lane closes at a time in sections, and the work is sequenced around school traffic.
What to expect between now and 2029
On paper, the next stretch is about approvals. For anyone driving past, very little changes. The riverboat keeps operating, and the hotel is expected to stay open after the new building opens. The board recommended that the Hollywood name be marketed only as coming soon until the official change. A construction start still needs another vote from the Gaming Control Board, and no groundbreaking date has been published. The two West Bank planning agendas posted this fall had no Boomtown item.
Until then, Friday music at NOLA Steak and no-cover Saturdays at Boomers are what Boomtown offers. For more places closer to home, our guide to where Harvey locals eat, shop and unwind covers the rest of the neighborhood. Treasure Chest's finished land casino is across the river in Kenner, and our Kenner neighborhood page covers that side of the metro.
A $195 million project on the Harvey Canal is bound to make homeowners nearby wonder what their own place is worth before anything gets built. At Armstrong Realty, our Harvey-based team follows these filings so we can give you a straight answer. If you live near Peters Road and want a number based on today's market rather than a 2029 rendering, get a free home valuation and we'll walk you through it, in English or Vietnamese.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
