Delta Downs track report

VINTON, La. - Revenue from the recently opened slot machine parlor at Delta Downs totaled $13.5 million for March, its first full month of operation. Since opening on Feb. 13, slots have generated more than $21.4 million for Delta's parent company, Boyd Gaming, according to state police reports. The track reported almost $25 million in gross revenues for the first quarter of this year with slots responsible for 86 percent. In comparison, the track made just $2.2 million the previous quarter, before the slots parlor began operation. Fifteen percent of the profit made from slots is designated for horse racing purses.

The full effect of the slots on the racing product here has yet to be discerned, but director of racing Chris Warren is encouraged by the trend. "Last year we had a total of six $1 million handle nights," Warren said. "This year we have had 25. We averaged $945,000 in handle a night for our recently concluded mixed meeting, and that was after losing almost two entire programs due to a power outage and uplink problems."