Despite a 2% dip in visitation to Sin City, gambling receipts were up again in April. Las Vegas Strip casinos surged 6.5% to $689.5 million. Although a recent survey of gamblers (see “License to Gouge”) overwhelmingly indicated an inclination to visit Downtown, that didn’t show up in the latest data. Downtown casinos were flat at $83.5 million. North Las Vegas ticked up 3% to $25.5 million, while the Boulder Strip was flat at $90 million. Miscellaneous Clark County was also becalmed at $164.5 million.
Drive-in casinos benefited, though. Laughlin leapt 17% to $47 million and Mesquite was up 4% to $18.5 million. The one worrisome spot was Wendover, unaccountably down 3.5% to $33.5 million. Reno gained 12% to $97 million while Sparks levitated 20% to $15 million. The secret sauce for Strip casinos was baccarat. Without it, those pleasure palaces were up 5%. Table games other than baccarat did tolerably well, rising 4% in spite of 5% lower wagering. Slot coin-in was 5% higher and win was up a corresponding amount. Baccarat win jumped 15% on -2.5% betting.
New product continued to spur casinos in Louisiana. They were up 11% last month. Even long-established gambling houses, though, saw double-digit increases. But has Caesars Entertainment pulled the promotional props out from Horseshoe Lake Charles? It sank 13% into $9 million and comparative irrelevance. L’Auberge du Lac (above), in contrast, continued a run of good luck, surging 18.5% to $29 million. Golden Nugget Lake Charles was not greatly outdone, up 5.5% to $25.5 million. Delta Downs also delivered, up 7.5% to $15 million.
It was a totally different story in the Shreveport/Bossier City area, at least where Caesars was concerned. Horseshoe Bossier City exploded 96%, rocketing up to $11 million. However, that wasn’t quite enough to overtake Live Louisiana, leaping 25% to $12 million, or perpetual leader Margaritaville, jumping 9.5% to $14.5 million. Players fled Sam’s Town Shreveport along with Boyd Gaming, as it fell 12.5% to $2.5 million. Incoming owner Bally’s Corp. hopped 11% to $8 million at Bally’s Shreveport. Boomtown Bossier was up 6% to $4 million and Louisiana Downs continued to prosper away from the Roman Empire, cantering 8.5% higher to $3.5 million.
Bally’s bigger success saga, though, was in Baton Rouge, where its eponymous casino erupted 559.5% from what antediluvian Belle of Baton Rouge used to take. Its April haul was $5 million. While it remained in the #3 position, Bally’s Baton Rouge did succeed in cannibalizing both sister property Queen Casino ($7.5 million, -15.5%) and market leader L’Auberge Baton Rouge ($14 million, -9.5%).
Last but hardly least was New Orleans. There, it was a two-horse race. Caesars New Orleans continued to accelerate from a slow relaunch, vaulting 22% to $27.5 million. Speaking of reinventions, Treasure Chest climbed 15.5% to $15 million. Fair Grounds racino hit a pothole, stumbling 11.5% to $3 million, while Boomtown New Orleans slid 9.5% to $9 million. Amelia Belle was flat at $2.5 million, while outlying Evangeline Downs dipped 1.5% to $6 million.
OK, that’s enough for a Sunday afternoon. Enjoy your day of rest.