Louisiana Casinos Up 1.3% To $187.3m In October

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board has released its gambling figures for October, revealing a 1.3% increase in revenues to $187.3 million compared to the same month last year.
Breaking the figures down further, the New Orleans market reported an 8.1% fall in revenue to $50.3 million compared to the $54.7 million generated in October, 2012, with Louisiana’s only land-based casino, Harrah’s in New Orleans, experiencing a 9% drop in revenue to $25.9 million.
In addition, The Baton Rouge riverboat market also witnessed lower winnings in October, down 5.8% to $21.4 million, with L’Auberge Casino & Hotel down 1.7% to $11 million; Hollywood Casino down 19.3% to $5.6 million. The Belle, however, reported a 4.4% increased its winnings to $4.8 million.
Meanwhile, the state’s 14 riverboat casinos took $132.3 million in October, up 5% from the same month last year, and Louisiana four slot machine racinos saw their revenues hit $29.1 million for the month, an improvement of 4.1% compared over last year.
In terms of market share, the Shreveport area continues to lead Louisiana’s gambling market, generating $52.3 million in revenue; followed by New Orleans at $50.3 million; Lake Charles at $38 million; and Baton Rouge at $21.4 million.
At a time when many gambling markets in the US have seen their revenues shrink, Louisiana has shown great resilience and continues to buck the trend. Commenting on Louisiana’s overall impressive casino figures, Frank J. Fahrenkopf from the American Gaming Association, said: “After three years of increasing growth and positive signs in all sectors of the industry, it’s clear that we have weathered the recession.”