October 23, 2015—Louisiana released revenue details that show an increase of 12.8% over the last 12 months. Louisiana has 15 riverboats, Harrah’s casino, and four racetrack slot casinos. All three types of gaming locations brought in a total revenue of $206.1 million in September. It was an increase from $182.8 million since September 2014. The casino figures were provided by state police on Thursday, October 22, 2015.
New Orleans gaming market increased by 4% in winnings for September 2015. It was an increase from riverboat casinos and Harrah’s. Baton Rouge, which has three riverboat casinos, increased revenue by 2.8% over September 2014.
Lake Charles saw a larger increase than either city, with winnings increasing to 38.3%. It was due to the addition of the Golden Nugget Casino. Golden Nugget opened December 7, 2014. It is a resort casino, with 740 rooms, private marina, beach, 18-hole golf course, and casino area. The addition of the casino also accounts for the large jump in the casino gaming industry altogether.
Shreveport-Bossier City showed an increase of 1.1% from the year on year examination. Shreveport has six riverboat casinos. There are also slots located at Harrah’s racetrack, which brought in a total of $56.1 million.
The figures also show Opelousas had a 2.8% increase, with a total revenue of $6.7 million so far in 2015.
The figures provide a clear picture of the healthy gambling industry in Louisiana. Some cities have seen a larger percentage increase than others, but mainly it was Lake Charles that helped provide the 12.8% jump from September 2014 to September 2015. Expectations are high for revenue to continue its year on year increase, through the holidays.
Monetary projections for the next two months were not included in the report on the current healthy casino industry.