The take: Each of Baton Rouge’s three riverboat casinos posted declines in their winnings from gamblers in March as compared to the same month last year, leading to a 4.9% total decline in the local gaming market. Collectively, the three casinos won approximately $24.9 million last month, down from roughly $26.1 million in March 2015, according to figures released Monday by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. Hollywood Casino posted the biggest decline in winnings by percentage and in terms of dollars. It won $6.1 million, a decrease of 9.1%, or $611,938. L’Auberge won $13.4 million, a 4.1% decline, while the Belle of Baton Rouge saw winnings fall 1.8% to $5.4 million. Across Louisiana, total riverboat winnings fell 6.8% to $173.2 million. Read the full report.
Fresh milk: If one lawmaker has his way, Louisianians will learn to trust local farmers to milk cows and sell the product “raw,” The Associated Press reports. Sen. Eric LaFleur, D-Ville Platte, persuaded the Senate to let farmers sell limited quantities of unpasteurized milk directly to consumers, with an argument of personal liberty. Supporting senators cheered and clapped as LaFleur argued for his “don’t tread on me bill.” The Senate voted 23-12 Monday for passage, sending the raw milk bill to the House for consideration. The proposal wouldn’t allow retail stores to sell raw milk. Opposing senators raised concerns of health risks, without the heating process to kill bacteria. They said if someone is sickened drinking unpasteurized milk that could stoke broader consumer fears and damage Louisiana’s dairy industry.
Trying again: The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will resume talks at a meeting in June to reach an agreement on freezing oil output, Iraq’s governor to OPEC said just days after politics thwarted a deal to cap production and curb the global glut. As Bloomberg reports, no deal will be possible without a change in “political positions,” Falah Al-Amri said on his Facebook page. Negotiations among 16 oil producers in Doha on Sunday ended without any accord after Saudi Arabia demanded all producers take part in a freeze. Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran decided not to take part in the talks because it wants to restore exports which had been curbed by international sanctions. Read the full story.
