Hurricane Ida took away casino revenues

Hurricane Ida disrupted the economy of New Orleans' casinos. August was a disaster at the state's gambling establishments.

Hurricane Ida was already damaging New Orleans casinos when it got closer. After all, the preparation of gambling establishments for the hurricane wind presupposes the termination of work. Services that implement anti-weather measures enter the arena.

Ida, however, missed a little, crashing into Louisiana, which is south of New Orleans - the wind speed reached 150 miles / hour. Meteorologists noted that the hurricane was ranked fifth by wind strength.

The state was immediately deprived of electricity, and houses were destroyed in gusts. The dead were counted in dozens. The east coast just flooded. South Louisiana casinos remained closed for 14 days.

Now the authorities are calculating the losses. For casinos, the hurricane was disastrous. Of course, August brought them $ 30.5 million, but last year's month was more productive - revenue exceeded $ 32 million. Among the financially affected are three river casinos, the land-based Harrah, which occupies the center of New Orleans, and Fair Grounds, the Crescent City racetrack with slot machines.

Harrah's anticipated August was quite productive, the management notes. Without Ida, the casino's revenue would have surpassed last year's August by 16%. Harrah, the only commercial casino to occupy the land, earned $ 11.8 million in August 2020 and $ 13.7 million last July.

In general, August was favorable for Harrah - the rest of the casinos showed a solid decline. For example, Amelia Belle, located near Morgan City, fell by a third in revenue, falling to $ 1.7 million. Most of the closure took place in September, and the state is shudderingly awaiting reports due in October.