Louisiana Casinos Bring in $3.23 Billon

Louisiana is finding that the post hurricane wagering boom has continued, and last year brought in $3.23 billion from gamblers. Riverboat casinos took in $1.78 billion, Harrah’s New Orleans casino brought in $398.9 million, slot machines at the tracks brought in $365.9 million, and video poker machines brought in $684.7 million.

After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the state had seen a large increase in gambling, ever since the casinos started reopening after Katrina took many of them out. There has been some slowing down in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, but that has a lot to do with the fact that many of the hurricane refugees have moved somewhere else.

The state is bringing in more money than ever, with slot machines bringing in more than the table games, as per usual. The governor has said that because of the higher gambling tax collections, they will be able to pass a record $29.7 billion state budget. Lobbyists are pushing for more gambling, by suggesting new laws that could increase the number of video poker games and increasing their jackpots and bets allowed.

These amounts of slot machine and gambling revenue don’t even include the amounts that the tribes have brought in over the past year as well. There are three Indian reservation casinos in the state, but because they are not licensed and taxed, they do not have to report their winnings publicly. However, if the other casinos are bringing in these numbers, you can only imagine what it is like for them.

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