Louisiana Sports Betting Skyrockets in September; Casinos Also Up

In September, the casino gaming sector of Louisiana recorded a slight increase for revenue in a month-over-month comparison to August.

For sports betting, the increase was far more dramatic.

September’s sports betting handle, or amount wagered, jumped by about $80 million from the previous month. And the revenue from the Louisiana gambling financial report for August was more than tripled in September.

As for casinos, they bounced back from a down month in August (the lowest revenue total of 2022) with an increase of nearly $8 million in September.

Online sports betting launched in January in the state but there are no gambling websites in Louisiana for casino games.

The New Orleans Saints, LSU Tigers and Tulane Green Wave hit the gridiron in September, providing a boost for Louisiana sportsbooks.

September’s total sports betting handle was $207,501,595 in the Bayou State, a 61.8% increase from August’s $128.25 million. That September total was also almost double the amount reported in the July Louisiana sports betting revenue figures – handle (mobile and retail combined) was just $118 million.

As always since online options emerged for sports wagering in January, that portion of the market dominated. The mobile sports betting handle last month was about $176 million, or 85% of the market.

Even the retail amount wagered almost doubled, from $16.2 million in August to $31.5 million.

The sports betting revenue shot up from $9.46 million in August to $31,894,674 in September (with $27.1 million of that coming from online wagers), a 237.2% boost. The taxes derived from sports betting came to $3.87 million for September, just more than double the $1.77 million in August.

The total revenue from football alone in September exceeded $7 million.

The $31.9 million in revenue was the most for sports betting in the state since the legal market launched, edging out the $30.1 million reported by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board in March.

In a meeting on Thursday, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board approved WynnBet for a five-year mobile sports wagering license in the Bayou State.

Despite the popularity of mobile sports betting in the state, Louisiana hasn’t gotten any closer to offering iGaming options such as online roulette, blackjack or poker.

So for now the state offers riverboat casinos, one land-based casino, racinos (slot machines at racetracks) and video gaming terminals.

The land-based casino, Harrah’s New Orleans, recorded the biggest jump from August revenue, increasing 18.6% to $22.9 million in September. The state’s 13 operating riverboat casinos combined for a 4.5% increase, to $140.7 million, last month. Racinos nudged upward 0.6%, from $25.385 million to $25.528 million, and VGTs were the lone sector of Louisiana gaming to experience a revenue decrease. The 12,000-plus machines – placed at hotels, bars, restaurants, truck stops and off-track betting facilities statewide, fell 2.8%, from $64.2 million in August to $62.39 million last month.

The Treasure Chest Casino in Kenner, just outside of New Orleans, began the process of moving to a land-based facility. The $100-million development is slated to open in 2024 and the riverboat will continue operations until the new facility is ready, NOLA.com reported. Boyd Gaming will run the new casino, which will have a FanDuel Sportsbook and 47,000 square feet of gaming space.

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