RFT FILE PHOTO
Good luck with that.
St. Louisans know the Lumière Place Casino as the soaring riverfront tower with the perpetually pixelated light display whose appearance in the rearview mirror signals to drivers that they've taken the wrong right turn onto the MLK bridge to Illinois — but the casino's ownership group is angling for a change.
On February 7, Caesars Entertainment announced a grand rebranding that will see the casino renamed Horseshoe St. Louis, a plan that seems to assume that St. Louisans comprehend the concept of “names” in a way that, frankly, flies in the face of our city’s many mispronounced French streets and total disregard for the existence of whatever “Panera” is.
Let's be realistic: This is a city that’s held onto the pre-interstate name for Highway 40 so long that there’s an entire regional dialect that uses “farty” as a number. The Hollywood Casino Amphitheater will always be Riverport. Toasted raviolis aren’t toasted. You can tell a Blues fans’ age by what discarded sponsor name they call the stadium, and Lord help you if you try to order mostaccioli instead of “muskacholi.”
The gall of this rebranding is made only more ridiculous by the cowboy-flavored name, an object which fits into St. Louis’ culture like real cheese on a traditionally cut pizza.
Sure, it's their casino, they can do anything — they can change the name, roll out new carpets, install new slots, even fix the dang light display. But we’ll know. Lumière will live on.
