Thursday, Dec. 23, 2004 | 9:39 a.m.
NEW ORLEANS -- Louisiana's state-licensed casinos won $167.1 million from gamblers in November, state police reported. While that surpassed the $162 million that gamblers lost in November 2003, overall casino winnings would have fallen by comparison if not for the addition of a slot machine casino at the new Evangeline Downs in Opelousas.
Riverboats saw a 4.5 percent drop in winnings when comparing November's figures with the same month a year earlier. That translated to lower winnings in the Shreveport and Lake Charles markets.
The 14 riverboat casinos won $119 million, down from $124.6 million in November 2003. Harrah's in downtown New Orleans fared better, winning $25.3 million, up from $22.2 million a year ago.
Slot machine casinos at race tracks took in $22.8 million from gamblers in November, up from $15.2 million in November 2003, when there were only two such gambling outlets. Evangeline Downs opened its casino in December 2003.
A fourth race track slot machine casino could open in New Orleans at the Fair Grounds. On Tuesday, the state Gaming Control Board formally approved an agreement between Harrah's and the Fairgrounds that allows the track to phase in a limited number of slots without infringing on Harrah's monopoly rights on land-based gambling in the city.
In October Churchill Downs Inc. filed documents with the Louisiana state police for a required background check of the track's owners, managers and suppliers. That is expected to be completed by spring, officials said. After that, the board may formally approve slot machine gambling at the track.
In the New Orleans market, which currently includes the downtown casino and three riverboats, gamblers lost $48 million, up from $44.6 million in November 2003.
In the Shreveport-Bossier City market, the five dockside casinos and the slot machines at Louisiana Downs won $62.6 million in November, down from $65.8 million in November 2003.
In Lake Charles, the pair of two-boat complexes and the Delta Downs slot casino won $36 million in November, down from $37.2 million a year ago.
In Baton Rouge, two riverboats won $14.7 million in November, up from $14.5 million a year ago.
The slot casino at the new Evangeline Downs in Opelousas won $5.7 million last month.
The figures do not include the state's three Indian reservation casinos, which are not required to publicly report their winnings.
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