Louisiana Gaming Revenue Surges in March
Louisiana’s casinos saw a large percentage increase in gaming revenue last month compared to March 2020, when COVID-19 rates began to spike. This year in March, the state’s 13 riverboat casinos, a land-based casino in New Orleans, and four racinos brought in $225.1 million, according to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board. This represents a 132 percent increase compared to March 2020, when Louisiana had 15 riverboats in operation instead of 13.
This year, the state has been down two riverboat casinos. The Isle of Capri in Lake Charles, damaged during Hurricane Laura last year, is closed temporarily. In Shreveport-Bossier City, the DiamondJacks riverboat casino has been shuttered. In 2020, every Louisiana casino closed on March 17 at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The casinos remained closed for almost two months.
Last month, the casinos in the New Orleans area generated $51.6 million, a 119 percent increase over the previous March. This includes a 114 percent increase at Harrah’s New Orleans. The land-based Harrah’s went from $10.5 million in March 2020 to $22.4 million last month, according to the New Orleans website nola.com.
The riverboat casinos in the New Orleans area also experienced large percentage increases in gaming revenue. One example is Boomtown New Orleans in Harvey, across the Mississippi River from downtown New Orleans. Boomtown went from $5 million in March 2020 to $12.4 million one year later, a 150% increase.
The largest percentage gain at any casino statewide was at Margaritaville Resort Casino in Bossier City. That riverboat casino went from $6.5 million in revenue in March 2020 to $19.7 million last month, a 203 percent increase. Other resorts in the area also performed much better last month, compared to March 2020. Eldorado Resort Casino in Shreveport went from $4.4 million to $11.1 million, a 154 percent increase, according to nola.com.
