L’Auberge nips at Harrah’s revenue

A new Baton Rouge casino contributed to lower September winnings at Harrah’s Casino of $25.2 million, $5.5 million less than a year ago, according to a report presented Thursday to the Louisiana Gaming Control Board.

The L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge, which opened Sept. 1, pulled in $13.3 million in revenue.

Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge General Manager Jim Rigot said $1.8 million of the total came from his casino and $1.2 million from the Belle of Baton Rouge.

“Then you look at where else possibly did it come from, and you look at Harrah’s,” Rigot said. “I think it’s very telling … Harrah’s is down $5.5 million.”

The remainder likely came from the Mississippi Gulf Coast casinos, although those numbers have not been reported, he said.

Harrah’s officials could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Harrah’s had 372,542 customers in September, down 0.7 percent from the 375,163 admissions a year ago.

Meanwhile, the New Orleans casino boats saw its September revenue dip by a total of $331,594 compared with a year ago.

The Amelia Belle had revenue of $4.3 million, an increase of $89,342, or 2.1 percent. Boomtown New Orleans’ revenue decreased to $9.9 million, down $212,240, or 2.1 percent. Treasure Chest’s revenue slipped to $8.7 million, down $208,696, or 2.3 percent.

Overall, Louisiana’s casino boats pulled in $141.8 million in September, an increase of $7.7 million, or 5.7 percent, compared to a year ago.

The Shreveport/Bossier market’s five boats saw revenues drop 6.4 percent to $51.6 million. Revenue at Lake Charles’ two casinos grew by 3.1 percent, or $1.3 million, to $42.1 million.

Rigot said it will take a few months for L’Auberge’s impact to settle.

The questions, he said, are how much L’Auberge will grow the market, what percentage of “the wallet” the new casino will retain, and what percentage will come from Baton Rouge casino boats, Harrah’s and the Mississippi casinos?