Deadwood casino gaming handle rebounds in May

The South Dakota Commission on Gaming has reported that Deadwood’s casino visitors wagered $131.2m, a 1.77 per cent increase compared to May 2021.

US.- Deadwood’s casinos saw their gaming handle rise in May after two months of decline. The South Dakota Commission on Gaming has reported that visitors wagered $131.2m, a 1.77 per cent increase compared to May 2021. The handle had fallen by 6.52 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, in March and April.

Last month, players gambled $123m on slot machines, $7.7m on table games and $307,994 on sports bets. Taxable adjusted gross revenue was $11.8m, with $1.1m collected and distributed to various entities across the state.

Mike Rodman, executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association, said: “We were pleased to see May’s numbers up, especially when compared to a strong May in 2021. May is usually a good indication of the trend for the summer season.”

The slot machine handle was up 2.34 per cent year-on-year in May, but revenue from Deadwood’s 87 table games fell 9.74 per cent.

The combined handle for the first five months of 2022 stands at $582.9m, down 0.82 per cent over the same period in 2021. The slot machine handle is down by 1.12 per cent and Table games by 5 per cent year-to-date.

Sports wagering launched in September 2021, so there are no year-on-year comparisons. The $307,994 handle for May saw $127,955 wagered on Major League Baseball, $116,503 on NBA Basketball and $32,562 on NHL Hockey.

In March, the House State Affairs Committee voted 10-3 against Senate Joint Resolution 502, which proposed a constitutional amendment to broaden the state’s gambling rules to allow sports wagers to be placed through electronic devices.

Supporters of the legislation argued that South Dakota is missing out on millions of dollars in revenue by continuing to prohibit online sports wagering. Despite the senate committee’s rejection of the proposal, supporters are optimistic about the chances of a citizen-led ballot initiative if lawmakers don’t continue to oppose mobile sports wagering.

Governor Kristi Noem’s administration opposes the proposal as does the Family Heritage Alliance. For now, the city of Deadwood is the only territory in South Dakota to offer legal gambling. Sports betting has been allowed in Deadwood since 2020 but players must be at a Deadwood casino.