Louisiana Casino Revenue Down 7.5 Percent From December 2014

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana's 15 riverboats, four racetrack slots casinos and Harrah's New Orleans brought in $217.2 million in December, a 7.5 percent drop from the December 2014 total of $234.8 million.

         The revenue figures were released Thursday by state police.

         Casino winnings in New Orleans fell by 13.5 percent in December, making it the Louisiana gambling market to post the biggest year-to-year decrease in revenue.

         The three riverboats, slots at the Fair Grounds and the Harrah's land-based casino brought in $48.3 million. That compares with nearly $55.9 million in winnings during December 2014.

         Casino winnings in Shreveport-Bossier City and Lake Charles all dropped year to year. Baton Rouge had a 5.8 percent gain, and Opelousas was up 1.1 percent, thanks to increased activity at Evangeline Downs racetrack.