NW casino market La's biggest winner for Aug; Evangeline Downs slots biggest loser

The Shreveport-Bossier casino market was Louisiana's biggest winner in August: the $71.2 million take at its riverboats and racetrack slots casino was up 6.4 percent from a year earlier.

Figures released Thursday by Louisiana State Police show statewide gambling revenues rose 1.2 percent to $217.8 million.

The biggest loser was Opelousas. The slots casino at Evangeline Downs fell 4.4 percent from August 2013, to $7.5 million.

The Baton Rouge and Lake Charles markets were about even. Riverboat winnings in Baton rouge rose 0.4 percent to $24.4 million, while the riverboat and track casino in Lake Charles were down 0.1 percent to $61.7 million.

In Morgan City, the Amelia Belle's take was down 3.3 percent, to $4.4 million. The New Orleans market was down 2.4 percent to $48.5 million.