What would New Orleans be without Mardi Gras? And where would the Gulf Coast be without Harrah’s New Orleans? Well, it is good that we never have to find out, for even though Hurricane Katrina destroyed most of what was there, the spirit of the town lives on – as does Harrah’s New Orleans. The slot machines were up and running just in time for the festival, and Jim Hopkins, Senior Vice President for the casino said, “We just want to get the word out that New Orleans is open for business." 

One of the best things that can happen for the area is for the casinos to be up and running their slot machines. The amount of revenue that comes from them is crucial to the rebuilding of the area. The revenue amounts to somewhere in the area of $750 million, and without that you have a state in a lot of financial trouble. Not only do they have to pay for the repairs to the damage that has been caused, but they would have to do it without one of their major sources of funding. The state expects to see somewhere around $771 million this year even though they have lost 1,000 slot machines in the storm. Out of 15 riverboat casinos, 12 are already reopened, and since the Hurricane they have been bringing in more money than ever.  

Harrah’s isn’t just bringing in slot machine revenue however; they are also bringing in jobs – and lots of them. They have rehired roughly 1300 of their original 2300 employees, which is a big help to the economy alone. They have also added more than 2000 slot machines, in addition to more tables and more décor.

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