Casinos on the Mississippi Gulf Coast won the second-highest monthly amount ever in March, apparently boosted by betting on the NCAA basketball tournament.

And while casinos in other parts of the state remain beset by increasing competition, they too have been showing strength since the advent of sports betting.

Figures released this month show gamblers lost $212 million in March, up 5% from $201 million in March 2018.

That includes $8.4 million in sports betting revenue at casinos.

The 12 coastal casinos saw March revenue rise 13% percent to $124 million
The 15 river casinos saw revenue fall 4.3% to $88 million.

That’s a resumption of declines after seven months of increases. A Tunica County casino closed in January.

Numbers exclude Choctaw Indian casinos, which don’t report to the state.