St. Louis Riverboats: The Mississippi River Casino Cluster Most Travelers Skip
St. Louis has four major casinos along the Mississippi River. They generate ~$700M annually. The market is split between Missouri (south side) and Illinois (east side) operations.
St. Louis metro has 4 major casinos: Ameristar St. Charles (Boyd, the largest), Hollywood Casino St. Louis (Penn, in Maryland Heights), River City Casino (Penn, in south St. Louis County), and Horseshoe St. Louis (Caesars, formerly Lumière Place, downtown). Plus Casino Queen (East St. Louis, IL) on the Illinois side. Combined revenue: ~$700M annually. Market is mostly local; minimal destination travel.
St. Louis is split by the Mississippi River. Missouri and Illinois both have legal commercial casino gambling. The St. Louis metro casino market spans both states.
Ameristar St. Charles
The largest property in the St. Louis market. Owned by Boyd Gaming (since 2018, when Penn Entertainment was forced to divest by the FTC after acquiring Pinnacle). 397 hotel rooms.
Located in St. Charles, MO — the suburban side, ~25 minutes from downtown St. Louis. Strong food and entertainment programming. B Connected loyalty.
The destination property of the metro. Visitors who want a 2-night casino weekend pick Ameristar.
Hollywood Casino St. Louis
Owned by Penn Entertainment. 502 hotel rooms (the most in the market). Located in Maryland Heights, MO — suburban, ~20 minutes from downtown.
Larger hotel than Ameristar but less aggressive on amenities. mychoice rewards integrated. Useful for Penn regulars from across the network.
River City Casino
Owned by Penn Entertainment. 200 hotel rooms. Located in Lemay, MO — south St. Louis County, on the Mississippi River.
The smaller of the two Penn properties. Mostly local market. mychoice rewards.
Horseshoe St. Louis (formerly Lumière Place)
Owned by Caesars Entertainment. Located in downtown St. Louis — directly on the riverfront, walkable to the Arch and Busch Stadium. ~494 hotel rooms (in the connected Four Seasons St. Louis tower; the casino is technically separate but co-located).
Caesars Rewards integrated. The most urban-located of the St. Louis casinos. Worth booking if you're combining a casino visit with St. Louis tourism (Arch, City Museum, baseball game).
Casino Queen (East St. Louis, IL)
The Illinois-side property. Smaller (~150 hotel rooms). Local market. The Illinois state-line technicality matters mostly for the tax structure (Illinois licensing rules, Illinois tax rates).
What this market is actually for
St. Louis is a 2.8M-population metro. The casinos serve:
- Local residents (90% of weekday volume)
- Weekend leisure trips from southern Illinois, eastern Missouri, southern Iowa
- Convention/business travelers to St. Louis itself
It is not a destination casino market. There is no reason to fly to St. Louis for the casinos.
What to actually book
For most St. Louis visitors:
- Combining with downtown tourism: Horseshoe (downtown, walkable to attractions)
- 2-night casino weekend: Ameristar (best amenities, suburban quiet)
- Caesars Rewards regular: Horseshoe (network integration)
- Boyd Connected regular: Ameristar (network integration)
- Penn regular: Hollywood Maryland Heights or River City (network integration)
The St. Louis casinos are a clear example of how regional gaming markets serve as utilities rather than destinations. Reliable, functional, locally important — but not on most travelers' destination lists.
For our broader Midwest take: Kansas City casinos, Detroit casinos.
Topics
- st-louis
- missouri
- illinois
- riverboats