Jeffrey Soffer files plans to replace Big Easy Casino in Hallandale Beach with new gaming complex

Florida developer Jeffrey Soffer, who heads Aventura-based Fontainebleau Development, has submitted plans to replace the Big Easy Casino in Hallandale Beach with a new gambling and entertainment complex. The project would cover about 165,380 square feet at 831 North Federal Highway.

According to the filing, as reported by The Real Deal, the facility would include slot machines, a card room, a smoking lounge and a music venue, along with several dining options such as a steakhouse and a sports restaurant. Restaurants would take up roughly 34,300 square feet, while administrative offices would occupy a further 9,800 square feet. The plan also provides for around 1,700 parking spaces, much of them in a four-story garage. Las Vegas-based architecture firm Steelman Partners designed the project.

Soffer needs local approval before moving ahead. His application seeks permission to create a land plat larger than Hallandale Beach regulations normally allow. The city commission is scheduled to discuss the waiver request on October 13. If commissioners agree, the developer could proceed to formal plat approval and submit a detailed site plan for review.

In city filings, attorney Graham Penn, who represents the developer, described the project as the most significant improvement ever made to the property. The application also points to potential job creation and increased commercial activity as benefits for the city.

The site has a long history. The property dates to 1934, and the current casino building was constructed in 1963. It was formerly the Mardi Gras Casino and Race Track. Soffer bought it for $12.5 million in 2018, renamed it Big Easy Casino and ended the greyhound racing long associated with the location. The original complex covers about 262,900 square feet on a 23.8-acre site. In December 2025, Soffer sold about 12.3 acres to developers for around $31 million and kept the remaining land for future development.

Soffer's portfolio includes Fontainebleau Miami Beach and Fontainebleau Las Vegas, which opened on the Las Vegas Strip in December 2023. He has also tried to bring casino gambling to the Miami Beach resort, including by seeking to transfer the gaming permit attached to Big Easy Casino. Local officials and residents have repeatedly opposed that proposal, and Soffer has previously donated $300,000 to political action committees during the effort. The Hallandale Beach redevelopment would give him another route to expand his gaming business without depending on approval for a Miami Beach casino.