An additional gambling outlet, the slot machine casino at the New Orleans Fair Grounds, contributed to the cash flow, pushing the total to $4 million more than last year's total of $228.3 million.

The state's 13 riverboat casinos contributed most of the overall revenues -- $164.8 million last month.

Harrah's downtown casino in New Orleans won $32.5 million and the four track casinos took in $34.8 million, the state government reported this week.

The overall figures were also up from a month earlier, when Louisiana gamblers spent $214.1 million at the states casinos and slot machine houses.

Experts said that the Louisiana casino markets are heavily reliant upon Texas gamblers. The markets of Shreveport-Bossier City and Lake Charles recorded major months, even though high fuel prices have been blamed for slumps in gambling revenue in some places.

Riverboats in Lake Charles, along with the Delta Downs casino at Vinton, won $60.6 million, up from $58.6 million a year ago, experts noted. The five riverboats in Shreveport-Bossier City, along with the Louisiana Downs casino, took in $79.4 million, an increase from $76.2 million last July.

The New Orleans market includes a downtown casino, and two riverboats. The boats won $24.9 million and the Fair Grounds added another $2.5 million for a total of $59.5 million. Gamblers lost $59.8 million in that region in July 2007, experts said.

The riverboats in Baton Rouge won $18.5 million last month. The Amelia Belle riverboat near Morgan City won $4.6 million last month, basically unchanged from a year ago.

The Evangeline Downs track casino at Opelousas won $9 million last month.

Nearby, in Mississippi, the state-licensed casinos won $249.3 million in July, the State Tax Commission said. Mississippi casinos along the coast have faced increasing competition from Indian reservation casinos in Florida, compounded by high gasoline prices, analysts said.

But, neither Mississippi nor Louisiana report revenues from Indian reservation casinos publicly.

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