Louisiana Casinos & Racinos See Slight Revenue Hike in July

The Louisiana gaming industry had a very steady month in July, with numbers almost mirroring June revenue figures across the board.

The July combined revenue from riverboat casinos, one land-based casino, racinos (slots at racetracks) and video gaming devices totaled $295,934,797. That was 0.3% higher than June’s total of $294.95 million, a difference of nearly $1 million.

Breakdown of July Gaming Revenue

The biggest gain for the Bayou State in July came at the racetrack slot machines, according to figures from the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. The combined month-over-month increase at those tracks (Delta Downs, Harrah’s Louisiana Downs, Evangeline Downs and the Fair Grounds in New Orleans) was 4.8%, from $30.9 million in June to $32.4 million in July. Delta Downs in Vinton was the biggest gainer of the four tracks, rising 7.3% from $15.4 million to $16.6 million.

Just barely behind the racinos, the state’s lone land-based casino, Harrah’s New Orleans, increased its revenue by 4.7%. The figure rose from $24.6 million in June to $25.7 million in July.

Video gaming terminals (VGTs), more than 12,000 statewide, rose to $73.9 million from $73.4 million, a 0.7% bump. The machines are available at bars, restaurants, hotels, truck stops and racetrack OTBs.

The one sector of Louisiana gaming to experience a decline in July was riverboat casinos, which fell 1.3%, from $166.1 million in June to $163.8 million in July.

Also, The Advocate in Baton Rouge reported Thursday that the Capri Lake Charles riverboat casino, damaged last year by Hurricane Laura and closed ever since, will reopen in 2022 as a land-based casino.

Caesars Entertainment announced that the facility will be in operation by next fall and be called the Horseshoe Casino Lake Charles, according to The Advocate report. The new casino will have a Caesars sportsbook when sports betting launches in Louisiana. Speaking of which….

Louisiana Closer to Sports Betting

Sports betting in the Bayou State is proceeding rapidly, to the point where there is hope that it will be available sometime during the 2021 NFL season.

The LGCB approved emergency measures on Thursday regarding licenses and platform provider application forms. Louisiana still must approve 20 licenses among the state’s casinos and racino facilities.

In July, the Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder announced a deal with International Game Technology to use the company’s IGT PlaySports sports betting product when it comes on line in the state.