Two of Baton Rouge’s three riverboat casinos—Hollywood Casino and Belle of Baton Rouge—saw their take fall in September compared the same month last year, but an increase in the house’s take at L’Auberge Casino & Hotel pushed the entire market into positive territory last month.
The roughly $11.8 million L’Auberge won last month marked a 7.9% increase over its $11 million take during September 2014. The increase more than offset the 3.1% decline in winnings at Hollywood, which took in approximately $5.2 million last month, and the 2.4% decline at the Belle, which won $4.6 million.
Collectively, the Baton Rouge market posted a 2.8% increase in winnings last month, with gamblers leaving $21.7 million at the riverboats. Last September, the three casinos won just over $21 million.
The Baton Rouge riverboat market lagged other markets in the state last month, according to the latest figures from the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. The three riverboats in the New Orleans market posted a collective take of $21.4 million, an increase of 8.6%, while the six boats in the Shreveport/Bossier City market saw their collective take rise 3% to $52.3 million.
Only two of the three riverboat casinos in the Lake Charles market were open last September, so the figures there are skewed. The Golden Nugget, which opened in December last year, won $21.8 million, boosting total market winnings to $57.7 million, an increase of 51.9% over winnings last September. However, the two other casinos in the market saw their take fall in September compared to last year.
Louisiana’s 15 riverboats collectively won $153.1 million last month, an increase of 18.1% over winnings of $129.6 million in September last year. However, when The Golden Nugget’s take is subtracted from the September total, the gain among the 14 boats that were in operation in September 2014 falls to just 1.3%.
Access the complete September gaming reports.
—Steve Sanoski
