New Orleans gambling revenue fell by 7.1% in January

During that period casinos brought in nearly US$47.8m, compared to the US$51.4m made in January 2015, according to figures released by the State Police.

Winnings in every market statewide were down from the previous year, as just a handful of gambling venues brought in more money than they did in January 2015. The report indicates that falling revenue was caused mainly by a drop in winnings at Harrah’s Casino and the slots at the Fair Grounds.

Revenue at Harrah’s dropped by 14.1 percent from $26.2m to $22.5m, blaming this decline on the New Orleans smoking ban, which forced gamblers to leave slot machines and table games for a cigarette.

New Orleans became the latest US city to ban smoking in casinos, hotels, bars and other public areas since April 2015. More than 50 venues were filed a suit against the city, initially to prevent the ban from taking effect, with hopes to reverse the measure.

The drops offset gains at the two Jefferson Parish riverboats, which have seen business go up since the New Orleans smoking ban took effect. Treasure Chest saw its winnings go from $8.1m in January 2015 to nearly $8.5m, a 4.4pc gain. Boomtown New Orleans winnings went up 3.9pc to almost $9.1m.

On the other hand the Amelia Belle had a 3.9pc decrease in winning from nearly $4.4m in January 2015 to nearly $4.2m. Also the 15 riverboats, four racetrack slots casinos and Harrah’s New Orleans brought in $207.1m in January, a 5.8pc drop from the January 2015 total of $219.9m.

The biggest percentage decrease in the state happened in Lake Charles, where the winnings at the city’s three riverboats and Delta Downs racetrack were $71.3m, an 8.9 percent drop from $78.2m. Casino winnings at the Baton Rouge riverboats dropped by 1.3m in January as well.