After a fairly calamitous May of 2016, last month was smooth sailing for Louisiana casinos, up 6% overall. True, Shreveport/Bossier 
City was flat but Lake Charles rose 9%, New Orleans increased 5% and Baton Rouge — look out! — was up nearly 14%. Pinnacle Entertainment was a big winner, up 30.5% at L’Auberge Du Lac ($20 million), 20.5% at L’Auberge Baton Rouge ($15 million) and 8% at Boomtown New Orleans ($10.5 million). The only bad news came from Boomtown Bossier, down 6.5% to $5 million.
That’s quite a contrast from Boyd Gaming, which faced adversity at almost all its properties. Sam’s Town retreated 6% to $6.5 million, Delta Downs was down 2% to $15.5 million and Amelia Belle sank 5%. Bright spots for Boyd were Treasure Chest, in Kenner, up 4% to $9.5 million and Evangeline Downs, which got a 1% bump. Tropicana Entertainment enjoyed a 6% jump at Belle of Baton Rouge, while Churchill Downs fell a precipitous 11.5% at Fair Grounds racino. Gaming & Leisure Properties was 5% up at Casino Rouge, while Eldorado Resorts had an anemic month in Shreveport, down 2% to $10.5 million, and had a flat month in Lake Charles ($10 million), as did the Golden Nugget ($23 million).
Not surprisingly, Horseshoe Bossier City dominated its namesake market, grossing $15 million, a 1% increase. Fears of a smoking-ban disaster continue to be disproven at Harrah’s New Orleans, which was up 8% to $10.5 million. We can only speculate at the dominance of L’Auberge du Lac among these numbers but the marketing department at Pinnacle probably deserves a blue ribbon.
