Mississippi’s casinos won $249.3 million from gamblers in July, up a bit from June but trailing the year-ago figure

The Gulf Coast casinos took in $115.7 million last month, while those along the Mississippi River won $133.6 million, the Mississippi State Tax Commission said.

In July 2007, the casinos won $267.7 million. Of that, $124.7 million came from the Gulf Coast, while $143 million was won by the Mississippi River casinos.

Generally, casino winnings nationwide have been down over the past year because of high gasoline prices and the weak economy. Mississippi casinos along the coast also have faced increasing competition from Indian reservation casinos in Florida.

The state’s tax take for July was $28.6 million, with $9.6 million of that going to local governments where the casinos are located.