Though nationwide gambling revenue was down for the 2009 fiscal year, Louisiana has endured one of the smallest decreases in the country, according to a study by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.Louisiana’s overall gambling revenue decreased from $668 million to $659 million. The 1.3 percent decrease is less than the national average, 2.8 percent.Jeff Traylor, audit director for the state police, which conducts audits of gambling revenue, said Louisiana may be behind the national curve because of extra money circulating through the state after Hurricane Katrina. “The economy is a mess, but it took longer to hit us because of Katrina,” Traylor said. “We had all that federal money in the state, and it’s begun to dry up.” Louisiana benefits heavily from visiting Texans who drive to Shreveport or Lake Charles to gamble, said Wade Duty, executive director of the Louisiana Casino Association. But Duty said these circumstances are not enough to curb falling revenues, including into the 2010 fiscal year.July revenues were down 6.1 percent from the previous year, and August revenues were down 9.7 percent, Duty said. Traylor said revenue may be up for September compared to last year, but that statistic is misleading. “Last September we had hurricanes, so casinos were shut down,” Traylor said. “So we will have a big increase over last year. But unless something in the economy changes, I don’t see any reason why the casino revenues will pick up.”Duty said the state may actually be at a disadvantage because state law keeps most casinos confined to riverboats, and other nearby states are able to expand past that venue. “[Our revenue has] basically been flat for five years,” Duty said. “That’s mostly because other competing markets have been able to restructure their offerings. When you see a rebound in casino revenues nationally, I think Louisiana will return to the flat line, and places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City will come back aggressively.” Chad Loupe, marketing senior, said he goes to a casino about once every two months. He hasn’t decreased his visits because he said he only gambles lightly for entertainment. “I just go with my friends,” Loupe said. “We walk around, drink a beer and don’t go crazy.”Rebecca Felix, mass communication senior, said gambling can actually be a cheaper and possibly more beneficial form of entertainment than going to bars. “If you go to a bar and bring 50 bucks with you, you won’t get anything in return,” Felix said. “In a casino, you can get something back, and you can stay there for hours.” Tom Dumas, program manager for compulsive gambling at the Department of Health and Hospitals’ Office of Addictive Disorders, said concerns arise when gambling moves past being a casual entertainment hobby and becomes consuming. “If you’re feeling guilty about gambling, and you don’t want to share with people how much you’re winning or losing, those are beginning signs to say there could be a problem,” Dumas said.The Office of Addictive Disorders offers free counseling to people with a gambling addiction. Though Louisiana’s gambling revenues decreased less than most other states, Dumas said Louisiana is on par with other states for gambling problems — about 3 percent of adults will “experience some difficulty.”Dumas said follow-ups from calls to the gambling help hotline decreased after Hurricane Katrina, but the numbers have begun to pick up.Dumas said one of his counselors reported college students are less common than other groups in counseling, but they are present.”They’re not the majority, but they are a small percentage — maybe 5 to 10 percent of who she typically counsels in a month,” Dumas said.Dumas said college students typically have issues with sports betting or table games.The Office of Addictive Disorders’ gambling hotline is free and open to Louisiana residents who thinks they may have a gambling problem and can be reached at 1-877-770-STOP.—-Contact Ryan Buxton at [email protected]