NEW ORLEANS
Mostly because a late Mardi Gras brought in a wave of visitors, Louisiana's state-licensed casinos got a boost in March, winning $215.4 million from players.
That's a 4.3 percent increase from March 2010.
The 13 riverboat casinos took in
In March 2010, the casinos won $206.5 million. In February 2011, the tally totaled $199.5 million, a 4.4 percent drop from the previous February, an indicator that casinos are still hop-scotching through the economic recovery.
The performance of casinos around the country has lurched about with blips in the recovery as gamblers deal with pressures on discretionary spending and spiking gasoline prices. Industry analysts say regional casinos, such as those in Louisiana and Mississippi, have an advantage over gambling centers like Las Vegas because players are more likely to stay close to home in the economic pinch.
Nevada saw February casino revenue fall 6.8 percent from February 2010 -- the fourth straight month of drops and the steepest in over a year. Revenue for Atlantic City, N.J., has fallen off a cliff because of Pennsylvania casinos. Revenue there fell by 6.7 percent in March, the second straight month the decline was measured in single digits following months of double-digit drops.
Winnings for Mississippi's state-licensed casinos totaled $208.9 million last month, down 1.7 percent from March 2010.
At the same time, there is more competition for the wagering dollar. The Shreveport-Bossier City market in northwest Louisiana has been competing with Indian casinos in Oklahoma for players from the Dallas-Fort Worth region. And Mississippi is facing competition from reservation casinos and race track casinos in Florida.
Among Louisiana's casino markets:
-- The five riverboat casinos and the Louisiana Downs track casino that make up the Shreveport-Bossier City market won $66.8 million last month, down 1.3 percent from $67.7 million in March 2010.
-- In the Lake Charles market, which also is heavily reliant upon Texas players, three riverboats and the Delta Downs track casino took in $56 million last month, up 2 percent from $54.9 million in March 2010.
-- The New Orleans market, which includes two riverboats, the land casino and the Fair Grounds track casino, won $61.5 million last month, up 12.2 percent from March 2010's tally of $54.9 million. Fat Tuesday and the major parade days leading up to it fell during the month, along with a major medical convention and an NCAA basketball tournament.
-- The two riverboats in Baton Rouge won $17.9 million last month, up 6.5 percent from $16.8 million in March 2010.
-- The lone riverboat casino in the Morgan City area took in $4.6 million last month, up slightly from $4.5 million in March 2010.
-- The Evangeline Downs track casino at Opelousas won $8.6 million, an 8.9 percent gain from $7.9 million won in March 2010.
The figures do not include the three Indian reservation casinos in Louisiana, which are not required to report their winnings to the public.
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