Louisiana Casino Revenue Flat At $185m In January

The state of  Louisiana has released its casino figures for January revealing that revenues for the month were fairly flat at $185.2 million compared to $185.7 million for the same month last year. Not surprisingly, however, takings were far off December’s figure of $211.4 million as the market succumbed to the post-holiday season drop-off.
Breaking the figures down further, Louisiana’s only land-based casino, Harrah’s in downtown New Orleans, saw only a meager gain on the $27 million it took a year earlier. Likewise, revenue at the state’s 13 riverboat casinos was relatively flat at $126.9 million, with only the Baton Rouge riverboat market showing a slight improvement.
Overall, The Lake Charles market’s two riverboat casinos experienced an 11% fall in revenue to $35.5 million from $39.9 million in January 2012. In the Baton Rouge area, Hollywood casino revenue was down by 30% to $6.46 million; while the Belle of Baton Rouge fell by 23% to $4.53 million. The newly built L’Auberge, however, generated $10.6 million in revenue suggesting that the casino was successfully attracting customers from other markets.  L’Auberge opened its doors in September, 2012 and the casino’s other two competitors in the Baton Rouge seem to be have been suffering ever since. In January, L’Auberge welcomed 114,786 guests, compared to Hollywood with 69,171 visitors, and the Belle with 67,446 guests.
Turning our attention to Louisiana’s four race tracks, The Fair Grounds won $4 million in January, up from $3.9 million over the same period last year. However, Delta Downs, Harrah’s Louisiana Downs and Evangeline Downs suffered falls in their revenues  ranging from 3.4% to 4.2%.
While Louisiana’s casinos were flat in January at $185.2 million, neighbouring Mississippi reported a 9% fall in revenue to $161.2 million, while Arkansas recorded a 12% increase in its gambling revenue  compared to January 2012.