Hollywood reports drop in winnings; Belle’s are up

Winnings at Baton Rouge’s two riverboat casinos, taken together, were down 3.9% in July when compared with the year before. The Belle of Baton Rouge, the oldest casino in the market, actually had a modest gain in winnings, bringing in $6.71 million in July, compared with $6.67 million in July 2009, according to figures released today by Louisiana State Police. But Hollywood Casino saw its winnings drop by 6.7% during July, falling from $10.8 million in 2009 to just over $10 million. The 13 riverboats, Harrah’s land casino in New Orleans and the four racetrack casinos won $219.4 million last month, down only 0.4% from $220.3 million in July 2009, state police say. July, with its major holiday weekend, is typically a strong month for casinos. In addition, New Orleans likely received a boost from the Essence Music Festival, which brought thousands to the city. But it’s too early to say whether the Louisiana casino business is coming out of a downturn, or whether July was a one-time event, says Grant Govertsen, an analyst with Las Vegas-based Union Gaming Group, which follows the industry.