Declining Revenues Continue in Louisiana

La. casino revenue drops in October
By MELINDA DESLATTE
The Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La.

Gamblers lost fewer dollars to Louisiana's state-licensed casinos in October than they did a year earlier or even the month before, according to the latest figures released Thursday to the state's Gaming Control Board.

The total October take for Harrah's Casino at New Orleans, the 13 riverboat casinos around the state and four slot-machine operations at horse tracks was $181.4 million, compared to $196.6 million in September and a similar amount in October 2010.

Harrah's Casino took in $27 million from gamblers in October, a 9 percent drop from a year earlier and a 12 percent fall from September.

The 13 riverboats won $123.5 million from gamblers last month, compared to $135.7 million in October 2010, a nearly 9 percent tumble, and an 8 percent drop from September, when they took in $134.1 million.

Not all the riverboats saw a year-over-year drop.

L'Auberge du Lac in Lake Charles, which continues to be a popular casino resort with gamblers, took $27 million from gamblers last month, compared to $26.4 million a year earlier.

The state has granted licenses to two other riverboat casinos that are under construction and have yet to open, one in Baton Rouge and another in Lake Charles.

Racetracks with slot machines took in $30.9 million in October, a small 2 percent dip from the same month in 2010, and a nearly 3 percent slide from September. Delta Downs racetrack in the Lake Charles area had an uptick in winnings when compared to a year earlier, however.

The figures, compiled by the Louisiana State Police for the gambling board, do not include the state's three Indian reservation casinos, which are not required to report their winnings to the public.

------

Online:

Louisiana Gaming Control Board: http://lgcb.dps.louisiana.gov/