La. casino revenues about even with Oct. 2012

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — State-licensed casinos in Louisiana won $187.3 million from gamblers in October, about even with a year earlier.
A $6.3 million increase in riverboat casino revenues, to $132.3 million, compensated for drops of more than $2.5 million at the New Orleans land casino and $1.2 million at race track slot machine casinos, according to state figures.
Total casino winnings were up 1.3 percent from October 2012, according to figures compiled by state police and released late last week by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. Riverboat winnings rose 5 percent, with drops of 4.1 percent at race track casinos and 9 percent at the Harrah’s New Orleans land casino.
It was an improvement from September, when the Isle of Capri in Lake Charles was the only state-licensed casino to win more than it had 12 months earlier.
The Shreveport-Bossier market, with six riverboats and a race track, remained the most lucrative at $56.9 million, up 12.7 percent from October 2012, when there were five riverboat casinos. The take rose 3.6 percent in Lake Charles, to $51.7 million. Revenues were down 5.8 percent in Baton Rouge and 8.9 percent in New Orleans, and stable in Opelousas and Morgan City.
The Northwest Louisiana market was boosted by $9.9 million in winnings at the Margaritaville riverboat casino, which opened in June. Both Boomtown’s $5 million take and the $10.2 million at Eldorado were down more than $1 million from the previous year — a drop of 21.6 percent for Boomtown and 10.1 percent for Eldorado. Sam’s Town took in $7.5 million and DiamondJacks $4.7 million.
The Horseshoe Casino was the only boat in that market to increase its winnings over the year, by 1.5 percent to $14.8 million. Sam’s Town’s take was down 4.6 percent and DiamondJacks’ by less than a percentage point.
Winnings rose nearly 7 percent over the year at L’Auberge Lake Charles, to $27.9 million, and 3.1 percent at the Isle of Capri, to $10.1 million. The Delta Downs slots casino in nearby Vinton took in $13.7 million, down nearly 2 percent from a year earlier.
Evangeline Downs in Opelousas had the only race track casino that didn’t see revenues fall over the 12-month period. Its $7.1 million take was about equal to the previous October’s. Harrah’s Louisiana Downs in Shreveport’s $4.6 million in casino revenue was down 14 percent from October 2012, compared to a 5.8 percent slide to $3.7 million at the New Orleans Fair Grounds Race Track.
The Amelia Belle riverboat at Morgan City took in $4.1 million last month, an increase of less than 2 percent from October 2012.
The Boomtown casino at New Orleans took in $9.2 million, down 7.4 percent, while the Treasure Chest’s revenue fell 12 percent to $7.4 million.
In Baton Rouge, the Belle of Baton Rouge riverboat continued to regain ground lost to L’Auberge Baton Rouge, though Hollywood’s take was still more than 19 percent below the previous October, at $5.6 million. The Belle’s take was up 4.4 percent from a year earlier, at $4.8 million, and its share of the market rose from 19.6 percent in October 2012 to 22.5 percent last month. L’Auberge, with $11 million, was down nearly 2 percent from a year earlier and held 51.5 percent of the market, down 1 percentage point from a year earlier.
The state figures do not include Louisiana’s three Indian casinos, which do not have to make their revenues public.
Louisiana casino winnings for September 2013
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Winnings from gamblers at Louisiana’s state-licensed casinos in October 2013 with totals in millions of dollars; attendance; and average loss per customer:
SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER
Market total: $56.9; 841,487; $67.6
Boomtown: $5.1; 81,925; $62.0
Eldorado: $10.2; 199,998; $51.2
Horseshoe: $14.8; 114,645; $129.2
DiamondJacks: $4.7; 84,227; $56.4
Sam’s Town: $7.5; 118,948; $62.8
Margaritaville: $9.9; 166,586; $59.5
Louisiana Downs: $4.6; 75,158; $61.6
LAKE CHARLES
Market total: $51.7; 534,180; $96.8
Isle of Capri: $10.1; 118,768; $85.2
L’Auberge Lake Charles: $27.9; 274,252; $101.7
Delta Downs track: $13.7; 141,160; $97.1
NEW ORLEANS
Market total: $46.2; 637,681; $72.4
Boomtown; $9.2; 95,844; $95.8
Treasure Chest; $7.4; 83,890; $87.7
Harrah’s New Orleans: $25.9; 396,446; $65.4
Fair Grounds track: $3.7; 61,501; $60.4
BATON ROUGE
Market total: $21.4; 236,129; $90.6
Belle of Baton Rouge: $4.8; 70,429; $68.3
Hollywood: $5.6; 62,638; $88.8
L’Auberge Baton Rouge: $11.0; 103,062; $106.9
MORGAN CITY
Amelia Belle: $4.1; 47,105; $86.0
OPELOUSAS
Evangeline Downs track: $7.1; 106,384; $66.4
TOTAL WINNINGS
Riverboats: $190.9; 2,239,326; $85.2
New Orleans land: $25.9; 396,446; $65.4
Race track casinos: $43.4; 526,364; $82.5
Grand total: $260.2; 3,162,136; $82.3