March casino revenues down 3.5 percent from 2013 in Louisiana

Harrah's New Orleans took US$ 32.6 million from gamblers, up 3.2 percent from a year ago. Winnings for the Belle of Baton Rouge rose 4.2 percent, to US$ 5.9 million. Those two casinos also had the lowest winnings per gambler in their markets.

In the New Orleans market, Harrah's took an average of US$ 62.94 from 518,035 gamblers in March, while the slots casino at the New Orleans Fair Grounds race track averaged US$ 65.24 for a US$ 4.8 million total and the two riverboat casinos were closing in on US$ 100 per gambler — US$ 96.46 at the Treasure Chest and US$ 99.15 at Boomtown. The New Orleans market totaled US$ 57.8 million in March, about even with a year earlier. Boomtown's revenues totaled US$ 10.9 for the month and the Treasure Chest's US$ 9.5 million.

The Belle's average winnings per customer were US$ 77.05 in March, while the Hollywood casino took US$ 94.10 and L'Auberge Baton Rouge US$ 98.94. With US$ 5.9 million from the Belle, US$ 6.8 million at Hollywood and US$ 13.3 million at L'Auberge Baton Rouge, the Baton Rouge market total was $26 million, down 9.8 percent from a year earlier. Winnings per customer didn't have any apparent correlation with year-to-year revenues in other markets.

For instance, the Lake Charles riverboats were only pennies apart in average take per customer - US$ 80.02 for the Isle and US$ 79.93 for L'Auberge. But the Isle's total take of US$ 12.4 million was just 1 percent down from March 2013, while winnings at L'Auberge fell 8.3 percent, to US$ 29.8 million.

And in Shreveport, the addition of a seventh riverboat in June remained the major driver for year-to-year losses among the other riverboats. Revenues fell 13.9 percent to 25.8 percent from March to March for the six older riverboat casinos, but the total market revenue of $66.8 million was down only 1 percent from March 2013. Harrah's remained Louisiana's top casino, with L'Auberge Lake Charles second.

The 14 riverboat casinos made US$ 154.4 million in March, down 4.3 percent from March 2013; the four race track slots casinos took in US$ 37 million, down 5.6 percent.