Bally’s Baton Rouge has been transformed the historic Belle of Baton Rouge into a fully reimagined hotel and casino. Opened last December as part of a $144 million redevelopment, the centerpiece is a 50,000-square-foot glass-enclosed atrium, once part of a rail and marketplace complex, now alive with gaming, a dedicated sportsbook, dining and immersive social experiences. To power the transformation, Bally’s turned to Alpha, which selected SAVI iQ’s AV-over-IP platform specifically designed for high-energy, gaming, sportsbook, and resort environments.
[Engaging Guests, Driving Revenues]
“In today’s casino and hospitality sectors, guest expectations are increasingly shaped by high-impact visual experiences, real-time content and seamless operation across multiple zones—demands that have traditionally required multiple standalone systems, adding cost and complexity,” said Kevin Higginbotham, senior account executive specializing in casino AV integration at Alpha. “At Bally’s Baton Rouge, those functions are now consolidated within a single, networked SAVI solution, simplifying day-to-day operation while enabling a more dynamic and responsive environment.”
A Historic Space Reimagined for a Modern Casino
For Alpha, the challenge was not simply to deploy audio and video systems at scale, but to unify them within a complex, historically constrained building while delivering the flexibility and usability expected of a contemporary casino. The new casino represents a shift from Bally’s previous riverboat operation to a permanent land-based venue within the redeveloped Belle of Baton Rouge complex, introducing both architectural and operational challenges. For the AV integration, this meant delivering a modern and sophisticated system within a historically constrained structure while preserving key elements of the original building.
“The design intent was clear: preserve the character of the depot and the atrium, but the expectation was equally clear: deliver a technology experience that is highly visual, high-energy and simple to operate," explained Higginbotham. "That’s a difficult balance to strike, and it forced us to rethink how the overall system architecture was designed and delivered within the constraints of the building.”
To meet the demands of a modern, lively environment, Alpha reworked the design around SAVI, consolidating those systems into a unified platform that reduces inefficiency, improves scalability and streamlines long-term operation. At the heart of the complex, the DraftKings sportsbook anchors the experience, designed as an immersive destination where content, scale and immediacy drive engagement.
The glass-enclosed atrium now houses a modern 25,000-square-foot casino floor featuring nearly 800 slot machines and more than 20 live table games. Within this environment, SAVI provides control for a 46-foot video wall capable of showing multiple games simultaneously, alongside a real-time sports ticker delivering live scores, league updates and breaking sports news.
The sportsbook entrance is marked by a distinctive architectural feature: an archway incorporating two nested LED tickers. Working alongside Alpha, SAVI’s platform was used to optimize content layouts and motion speeds to balance visual impact with legibility, creating a high-tech portal that reinforces the venue’s immersive identity from the moment guests arrive.
SAVI AV-over-IP: Built for Scale; Designed for Simplicity
Underpinning the entire experience is SAVI’s AV-over-IP infrastructure, anchored by SAVI Server Pro. Across the casino environment, more than 70 LG commercial displays run on webOS, enabling direct integration with SAVI Canvas and eliminating the need for costly external media players or set-top boxes. Video is distributed across the casino by SAVI STREAM.One 4K encoders handling broadcast television, sportsbook feeds and in-house content, alongside integration with third-party technologies including Vantiva COM3000, Q-SYS and NovaStar LED processing.
At the central feature of the venue, the DraftKings sportsbook delivers a high-energy viewing and betting experience, with SAVI enabling a 47.5x18-foot concave LED video wall supporting up to 16 simultaneous sources across multiple layouts, complemented by a dual-banded 70-foot LED ticker.
“In a space like the sportsbook, the system has to be intuitive from day one because there’s no time for complexity,” said Fred Martinez, AV specialist at Alpha. “Staff need centralized control of gaming floors, sportsbooks, hotels and entertainment venues to make changes instantly, without thinking about the underlying technology. With SAVI, they can go straight to the space they’re in, select what they need and move on. That simplicity is what makes it effective when you’re managing multiple zones, events and constant change.”
Just as critical as scale was simplicity. With SAVI Glass, operators have customized, branded control of the entire system from 5” SAVI TOUCHPAD.Ones and iPads—no dedicated apps or extensive training required. In a fast-moving casino environment, staff can make changes instantly and confidently, without navigating multiple systems or workflows.
“The SAVI interface fundamentally changes how staff interact with the system,” Martinez added. “Instead of navigating channel lists or trying to remember inputs and display locations, they can search for a game, select it and send it directly to the screen. That simplicity is what makes it effective.”
An advantage was the elimination of a separate digital signage CMS, consolidating content creation, scheduling and distribution within a single environment. Using SAVI Show, Bally’s can create, schedule and distribute content within the same platform used for control and video distribution, while the direct integration with LG webOS displays further reduces hardware requirements by removing external playback devices.
Delivering a Seamless, High-Energy Guest Experience
To match the visual intensity of the space, a fully zoned audio system, comprising more than 180 speakers, delivers consistent coverage across the gaming floor, sportsbook, bars and dining areas. As part of the wider SAVI integration, staff can control source selection and volume by zone, while automated adjustments maintain a consistent atmosphere throughout the day.
Behind the scenes, SAVI unifies multiple third-party systems into a single operational layer, allowing staff to coordinate video, audio and content in real-time without managing separate platforms.
“There are always multiple technologies involved in a project like this, but the operator shouldn’t have to think about that,” said Martinez. “SAVI allows us to bring everything together into one simple yet sophisticated interface. It also gives us the flexibility to respond quickly when requirements change, which is critical in a live environment where things continue to evolve once the venue is open.”
Casino AV, Reimagined
The ongoing collaboration between SAVI and Alpha highlights a new approach to AV in casino and hospitality environments, one built around consolidation, scalability and ease of use. “Casinos operate in one of the most demanding AV environments in the world,” said Vincent Anastasi, regional sales director at SAVI iQ. “With the SAVI casino solution, we provide operators and integrators with a scalable, always-on platform that unifies gaming, sportsbook, hospitality, and entertainment experiences.”
“SAVI gives us the flexibility and support we need to deliver the right solution for each project,” added Higginbotham. “It allows us to simplify intricate systems, reduce hardware and system management costs and ultimately provide something that the customer can count on when 24/7 reliability and redundancy for always-on operations is a must.”
