Rome wasn’t built in a day, and this wisdom applies to the transformation of New Orleans' only land-based casino.
The extensive renovations are nearly complete, and the newly revamped Caesars Hotel and Casino is poised to welcome bettors to the bayou with a completely transformed look. Following a $435 million overhaul, the rebranded Caesars New Orleans will officially reopen this week, featuring new restaurants, bar and a redesigned gaming floor.
The project concludes just months ahead of the influx of visitors expected for the 2025 Super Bowl in the Crescent City.
Buffet Out, Celebrity Chef Restaurants In
The renovations include a shift from a buffet to a food hall with offerings from celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay, Buddy Valastro and Nina Compton.
Emeril Lagasse has also opened a new restaurant in the casino, which now has a revamped gaming floor and will serve as a flagship within the Caesars Entertainment brand.
The new Octavia Lounge replaces the Masquerade dance club and showcases a $750,000 chandelier. It stands as the centerpiece of Caesars New Orleans, named after Octavia, the niece of Julius Caesar, and constructed in the shape of an octagon. The bar celebrates the number eight by blending themes of Ancient Rome with New Orleans.
There was also an effort to develop an unused area on the second floor and to update both the exterior and interior of the casino. Caesars New Orleans also features a new Nobu hotel and a tower with 340 rooms.
New Orleans Is the Birthplace of Casinos
Before the construction of the St. Louis Cathedral in 1727, New Orleans earned the nickname "Gambling City." Historians note that residents frequently indulged in gambling within billiard halls and cabarets, which played an important role in Louisiana’s history.
By the early 1800s, French settlers at the Port of New Orleans introduced a card game that involved betting and bluffing, closely resembling today's "draw poker." This game was known as "Poque" in French or "Poch" in English.
In 1822, a man named John Davis started the first gambling casino in New Orleans. It stayed open all day and night and offered fancy food, drinks and games like roulette, Faro and poker. There were also entertainers, often referred to as "painted ladies."
Site Is Old Harrah’s Hotel and Casino
The newly renovated Caesars hotel and casino used to be a Harrah’s property.
Harrah’s New Orleans Casino opened its doors in October of 1999 on Canal Street in the heart of downtown New Orleans, steps away from the historic French Quarter and Mississippi River. The Harrah’s Hotel and Fulton Street pedestrian promenade soon followed in 2006.
Harrah’s New Orleans offered 115,000 square feet of gambling space. Its 450-room luxury hotel opened in 2016 next to the casino on Poydras Street, and both are within walking distance of the French Quarter.
Caesars Entertainment is now the parent company of Harrah’s, with its operating contract expiring in 2054 after a recently agreed upon 30-year extension.
