January Represents Slow Start To Year For Louisiana Casino Gaming

The casinos in Louisiana saw revenues decline by 12.2% in January compared to December.

The four segments of Louisiana casino gaming – video gaming, riverboat casinos, one land-based casino and racinos (slots at racetracks) – combined for $253,727,483 in revenue for January. In December the state’s gambling outlets had $289.1 million in combined revenue.

There are no real money online casino options in Louisiana, though mobile sports betting has launched in the state. The casino numbers do not include sports betting.

Revenue Breakdown at Louisiana Casinos

The 13 operating riverboat casinos in Louisiana combined for $145.9 million in revenue for January, an 11.1% decrease from the $164.1 million in December.

The video gaming outlets in the Bayou State accounted for $65.5 million last month, a drop of nearly $9 million in a month-over-month comparison, according to figures that the Louisiana Gaming Control Board posted.

Louisiana’s one land-based casino, Harrah’s New Orleans, drew $17.7 million in January, a drop of 19.8% from December’s $22.1 million.

The four racinos combined for $24.6 million in AGR (adjusted gross revenue) for the month, down 14.2% from the final month of 2021.

December had represented a 13.0% increase over the $255.9 million recorded in November.

The January numbers do compare favorably to January 2021, when Louisiana casinos combined for $235.8 million in revenue. The 2022 number was 7.6% higher than that.

Mobile Sports Betting Underway in Louisiana

The state got a new form of gaming when sports betting became legal in Louisiana in late 2021.

And in late January the options became much wider and more convenient.

Louisiana became the latest state with mobile sports betting when it launched on Jan. 28 including major operators with national name recognition such as Caesars, FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Barstool and BetRivers.

That option arrived in Louisiana a few months after retail sportsbooks launched on Oct. 31, 2021. Legal sports betting is now an option in 55 of the state’s 64 parishes, the ones that approved of the practice in a 2020 referendum.