La casino winnings up $15M from a year ago

Published 12:40 pm Friday, August 16, 2013

JANET McCONNAUGHEY, The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana’s statewide casino winnings are up $15 million from a year ago, even though the take fell at 10 of 19 riverboat casinos and three of four racetrack slot machine casinos.

Two riverboats that opened within the past year made most of the increase, according to state figures released Thursday. They showed that state-regulated casinos won a total of $212.6 million in July, up $10.2 million from the previous month.

Margaritaville, which opened June 13 in Bossier City, took in $12.3 million for its first full month — one-fifth of the take among the six Shreveport-Bossier riverboats. L’Auberge Baton Rouge, which opened last September, won $12.9 million, about half the total in its three-boat market.

The other boats in those markets all won less than they did a year earlier, as did the Treasure Chest in New Orleans, the Isle of Capri in Lake Charles and the Amelia Belle in Morgan City.

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Although the Horseshoe’s $15.8 million was down 21 percent from July 2012, it still led the Shreveport-Bossier market with about 26 percent of the six riverboats’ $60.6 million total.

The 19 riverboat casinos made a total of $135.6 million, up $11.2 million from June and $1.4 million more than in July 2012.

Delta Downs track in Vinton was the only horse racing track where the slots casino made more money than in July 2012. It took in $16.9 million, up $565,700, or about 3.5 percent.

Race track casinos won a total of $33.7 million — $807,000 more than in June but $1.3 million less the take a year earlier. Louisiana Downs’ $5.4 million was down $983,000 from June 2012; the Fair Grounds $3.7 million was down $152,000; and the $7.7 million take at Evangeline Downs was $780,000 less than a year earlier.

The New Orleans land casino won $25.4 million, down $1.8 million from June but up $1.3 million from a year earlier.

The Shreveport market continued to lead the state at $66 million. Other market totals were: Lake Charles, $61.9 million; New Orleans, $48.7 million; Baton Rouge, $24 million; Morgan City, $4.2 million and Opelousas, $7.7 million from the Evangeline Downs racetrack casino.