Deadwood casino handle falls in September
The South Dakota Commission on Gaming has reported that Deadwood casino visitors wagered $147m.
US.- Deadwood’s casinos saw their gaming handle decrease in September after a rise in August. The South Dakota Commission on Gaming has reported that visitors wagered $147m, down 5.3 per cent compared to September 2021 and down 11 per cent compared to August’s $166m.
Players gambled $138m on slot machines, $7.5m on table games and $711,576 on sports bets. Taxable adjusted gross revenue was $13.5m, with $1.21m paid in taxes due to state, county and local government entities.
The slot machine handle decreased 6.09 per cent year-on-year on Deadwood’s 2,547 machines. So far in 2022, slot machine handle is down by 0.38 per cent compared to 2021.
The commission’s report shows Deadwood’s 87 table games saw a 5.37 per cent increase when compared to September 2021. However, the table game handle is down by 4.46 per cent for the year to date. As for sports wagering, the report shows a handle of $711,576 and a statistical win for gamblers of $211,612. Most bets in September were placed on the NFL and college football games.
Through the first nine months of 2022, gamblers in Deadwood have spent nearly $1.12bn on wagers and chip purchases, a decrease of 0.26 per cent compared to the same period last year.
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.
