The casino opened to the public on December 7, 2014. Located just two hours from Houston, Fertitta had long desired a casino-resort near the headquarters of Landry's, Inc. In December 2013, construction topped out on the 25-story accommodations tower.

Fertitta announced improvements and upgrades to the property, investing more than $600 million in the project, one of the most expensive construction endeavors in the United States at the time. A sale agreement was reached with Landry's, Inc., parent company of the Golden Nugget casinos, who agreed to pay the costs expended on the project's development to date. In order to obtain approval for the merger from FTC antitrust regulators, Pinnacle agreed to the sale of two of the combined company's properties, including Ameristar Lake Charles. In December 2012, Pinnacle agreed to acquire Ameristar.

The project was renamed as Ameristar Lake Charles. Īmeristar Casinos purchased Creative Casinos in June 2012 for $32.5 million, after Lee had difficulty financing construction. In February 2011, the license was awarded to Creative Casinos LLC, the company of former Pinnacle chairman Dan Lee, for a $400-million casino named Mojito Pointe to be built on the Sugarcane Bay site. The plan was canceled in 2010, and Pinnacle returned the gaming license to the state. Pinnacle Entertainment announced plans in 2006 to build Sugarcane Bay, a $350-million casino resort, next to its L'Auberge du Lac casino in Lake Charles. Golden Nugget Lake Charles is the fifth Golden Nugget property, joining the original location in Downtown Las Vegas, and others in Laughlin, Nevada Atlantic City, New Jersey and Biloxi, Mississippi.

The resort features 1038 guest rooms and suites housed in a 22-story tower, an 18-hole golf course, 30,000 square feet of meeting space, more than a dozen dining and bar options, a private beach, marina, spa & salon, retail corridor and expansive 24-hour casino floor. Golden Nugget Lake Charles is a 242-acre waterfront casino resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States, owned and operated by Houston-based Landry's, Inc.

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