The fact that February had two fewer days than January couldn’t stop Louisiana gaming from enjoying considerable revenue gains from riverboat, land-based, and racino gaming.
Sports betting, on the other hand, didn’t fare so well. The end of the NFL season led to monthly losses.
Louisiana’s riverboat casinos enjoyed a $21 million boost in February
Louisiana riverboat casinos had a strong month in February, posting over $143 million in taxable revenue, up nearly 17.6% from January’s total of almost $121.7 million.
Casino (Region) | February 2024 | January 2024 | % Change (Monthly) |
---|---|---|---|
Boomtown Bossier (Shreveport/Bossier) | $4,043,086 | $3,266,689 | 23.77% |
Bally's Shreveport (Shreveport/Bossier) | $9,387,525 | $6,566,073 | 42.97% |
Horseshoe Bossier City (Shreveport/Bossier) | $10,497,532 | $9,054,989 | 15.93% |
Sam's Town (Shreveport/Bossier) | $3,556,797 | $2,614,878 | 36.02% |
Margaritaville Resort Casino (Shreveport/Bossier) | $16,728,615 | $12,846,462 | 30.22% |
Horseshoe Lake Charles (Lake Charles) | $6,342,432 | $5,598,419 | 13.29% |
L'Auberge Lake Charles (Lake Charles) | $24,564,977 | $20,418,867 | 20.31% |
Golden Nugget Lake Charles (Lake Charles) | $24,785,512 | $22,824,568 | 8.59% |
Amelia Belle (New Orleans) | $2,705,486 | $2,384,432 | 13.46% |
Boomtown New Orleans (New Orleans) | $10,729,197 | $9,429,789 | 13.78% |
Treasure Chest (New Orleans) | $6,903,916 | $6,382,064 | 8.18% |
Belle of Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge) | $629,162 | $639,977 | -1.69% |
The Queen Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge) | $7,250,908 | $6,087,220 | 19.12% |
L'Auberge Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge) | $14,919,478 | $13,571,034 | 9.94% |
Total | $143,044,623 | $121,685,461 | 17.55% |
All but one of the state’s 14 riverboat casinos saw gains in February. Bally’s Shreveport had the most growth, percentage-wise, with a near-43% jump month on month. L’Auberge Lake Charles had the biggest dollar jump, seeing an almost $4.2 million increase over January.
Harrah’s New Orleans posted big monthly and yearly wins
Harrah’s New Orleans reported $23.8 million in February revenue, good for a 27.3% gain month on month and 10% year on year.
Louisiana online casinos are not yet legal.
LA racinos posted a 22% gain in February
Like their riverboat cousins, Louisiana’s racinos (horse tracks with slot machines) reversed their slow January with a hot February. The state’s four racinos shared over $27.7 million in February revenue. The figure is up 22% over LA’s January 2024 gaming win of $22.7 million.
Track | February 2024 | January 2024 | % Change (Monthly) |
---|---|---|---|
Delta Downs | $14,118,305 | $11,136,617 | 26.77% |
Louisiana Downs | $3,926,463 | $2,744,300 | 43.08% |
Evangeline Downs | $6,117,143 | $5,541,436 | 10.39% |
Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots | $3,548,685 | $3,290,899 | 7.83% |
Total | $27,710,596 | $22,713,251 | 22.00% |
Delta Downs saw its revenue leap by nearly $3 million, while Louisiana Downs posted a 43.1% monthly gain.
Online sports betting was down for a second straight month
Louisiana’s nine online sportsbooks suffered from the end of the NFL season. Revenue plummeted close to 32%, marking the second straight month that sportsbook win was down by more than 30%.
Month | Handle | Revenue | Monthly growth |
---|---|---|---|
February 2024 | $253,069,041 | $24,260,572 | -31.98% |
January 2024 | $317,844,144 | $35,668,766 | -30.45% |
December 2023 | $344,928,425 | $51,282,332 | 183.20% |
November 2023 | $322,939,359 | $18,107,946 | -53.82% |
October 2023 | $276,229,708 | $39,207,870 | 8.66% |
September 2023 | $248,831,422 | $36,082,807 | 139.93% |
August 2023 | $138,853,445 | $15,038,678 | -4.20% |
July 2023 | $122,520,979 | $15,697,788 | -91.05% |
2023-2024 Fiscal Year Total | $1,454,303,338 | $175,417,421 | N/A |
So far this fiscal year, the state’s online sportsbooks have generated $1.5 billion in handle (total amount bet) and $175.4 million in revenue. While mobile sportsbooks struggled in February compared to January, their fiscal-year totals are healthy. FY2023-24 revenue is up 90.7% compared to the same point in FY2022-23.
Retail (land-based) sportsbooks continued their decline in February. Revenue dropped 47.6% year-on-year, marking the seventh straight month that yearly revenue was down.