Deadwood casino gaming handle up 6.7% year-on-year in October

The South Dakota Commission on Gaming has reported that Deadwood casino visitors wagered $134m.

US.- Deadwood’s casinos saw their gaming handle increase year-on-year in October after a drop in September. The South Dakota Commission on Gaming has reported that visitors wagered $134m, up 6.7 per cent compared to October 2021 but down 8 per cent compared to September’s $147m.

Players gambled $125.5m on slot machines, $7.7m on table games and $862,169 on sports bets. The casinos had a taxable adjusted gross income of just over $12m in October, with $1m in taxes due to various state, county and local government entities.

The slot machine handle increased 7.67 per cent year-on-year on Deadwood’s 2,515 machines. So far in 2022, the slot machine handle is up by 0.4 per cent compared to 2021. The commission’s report shows Deadwood’s 87 table games saw a 5.96 per cent decrease when compared to October 2021. Table games are down by 4.62 per cent year-to-date.

Sports wagering generated a $862,169.97 handle. Most bets in October were placed on National Football League games, followed by college football and Major League Baseball.

Through the first 10 months of 2022, gamblers in Deadwood have spent nearly $1.3bn on wagers and chip purchases. Slot machines have handled more than $1.2bn. Table games saw over $74m in chip purchases, a decrease compared to 2021. The sports wagering handle year-to-date is nearly $5.6m.

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.