Louisiana was the fourth state to approve riverboat casino gam­bling and its 1991 gambling law allows a maximum of 15 boats statewide. In 1992 a provi­sion was added for one land-based casino in New Orleans.

The state also has three land-based Indian casinos and  four gaming machines-only casinos located at pari-mutuel facilities. Additionally, video poker is permitted at Louisiana truck stops, OTB’s and bars/taverns in 31 of the state’s 64 parish­es (counties).  All riverboat casinos in Louisiana are required to remain dockside and all are open 24 hours.

Gaming regulations re­quire that gaming machines in casinos be programmed to pay back no less than 80% and no more than 99.9%. For video gaming machines at locations other than casinos the law requires a minimum return of 80% and a maximum return of 94%.

Louisiana gaming statistics are not broken down by individual properties. Rather, they are classified by region: Baton Rouge (BR), Lake Charles (LC), New Orleans (NO) and Shreveport/Bossier City (SB).

The Baton Rouge casinos consist of the Belle of Baton Rouge, Hollywood Casino and Evangeline Downs. The Lake Charles casinos include: Isle of Capri, L’Auberge du Lac and Delta Downs. New Orleans area casinos are: Amelia Belle, Boomtown, Harrah’s (landbased), Treasure Chest and Fairgrounds Raceway. The Shreveport/Bossier city casinos include: Boomtown, Diamond Jack’s, Sam’s Town, Eldorado, Horseshoe and Harrah’s Louisiana Downs.

Here’s information, as supplied by the Louisiana State Police-Riverboat Gaming Section, showing the average electronic machine payback per­centages for each area’s casinos for the 12-month period from July, 2009 through June, 2010:

These numbers reflect the percentage of money returned on each denomination of machine and encompass all electronic machines including video poker and video keno. The best returns for each category are highlighted in bold print. There is no public information available regarding the payback precentages of gaming machines in Louisiana Indian casinos.

NOTE: If you happen to win a jackpot of $1,200 or more in Louisiana, the casino will withhold 6% of your winnings for the Louisiana Department of Revenue. If you want to try and get that money refunded, you will be required to file a state income tax return and, depending on the details of your return, you may get some of the money returned to you. The $1,200 threshold would also apply to any cash prizes won in casino drawings or tournaments.

All casinos offer: blackjack, craps, roulette, slots and video poker.  Optional games include: Spanish 21 (S21), baccarat (B), mini-baccarat (MB), poker (P), Caribbean stud poker (CSP), pai gow poker (PGP), let it ride (LIR), casino war (CW), three-card poker (TCP), four card (FCP), big 6 wheel (B6), keno (K) and bingo (BG). The minimum gambling age is 21 for casino gaming and 18 for pari-mutuel betting.

For more information on visiting Louisiana call the state’s tourism department at (800) 633-6970 or visit www.louisianatravel.com

Shown below is a list of all Louisiana casinos. Click on a casino name to see a page of detailed information about that particular casino.

• Amelia Belle Casino
• Belle of Baton Rouge
• Boomtown Casino & Hotel Bossier City
• Boomtown Casino New Orleans
• Coushatta Casino Resort
• Cypress Bayou Casino
• Delta Downs Racetrack & Casino
• DiamondJacks Casino - Bossier City
• Eldorado Casino Shreveport
• Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino
• Fair Grounds Racecourse
• Harrahs Louisiana Downs
• Harrahs New Orleans
• Hollywood Casino - Baton Rouge
• Horseshoe Casino Hotel - Bossier City
• Isle of Capri - Lake Charles
• Lauberge du Lac Hotel & Casino
• L'Auberge Baton Rouge
• Mojito Pointe Casino
• Paragon Casino Resort
• Sams Town Hotel & Casino Shreveport
• Treasure Chest Casino