Gamblers have bet more than $1 billion this year at Deadwood casinos
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Deadwood's casinos are booming in 2021 with the addition of sports betting, causing October's gaming handle to increased by more than 20% over October 2020 and year-to-date topping nearly $1.3 billion.
According to a report from the South Dakota Commission on Gaming, the October gaming handle increased 20.54% over October 2020. The report shows gamblers put more than $116 million in slot machines, $8.3 million in table game bets, and $815,036 in sports bets.
In all, visitors to Deadwood's casinos spent more than $125.7 million on wagers in October.
Slot machine handle increased 18.84% and table game handle increased by 34.35% when compared to October 2020, the report showed. This was the second report to include bets on sporting events after it was legalized.
The casinos had a taxable adjusted gross revenue of more than $11.7 million in October, with $1,053,816.13 in taxes due to various state, county and local government entities.
Through the first 10 months of 2021, gamblers in Deadwood have spent nearly $1.3 billion on wagers, an increase of 37.85% over 2020. Last year, casinos were temporarily closed with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So far in 2021, slot machines handled more than $1.2 billion, a 37.01% increase over the same time period in 2020. Table games have seen nearly $77.9 million in bets made, a 49.72% gain from 2020.
The report showed casinos rewarded players with $1.3 million in "free play" during October.
Deadwood's 2,559 slot machines awarded players with more than $10.8 million in winnings, the majority of which came from penny slot machines. Deadwood has 91 table games with black jack, poker, craps and roulette. According to the report, gamblers won nearly $1.5 million, the majority of which came from black jack and house-banked poker games.
Five casinos offered sports wagering in October, up one location from the previous month, with gamblers winning just over $98,000. The majority of the bets were placed on professional and college football games.
"With a full month of sports wagering revenues and a fifth sports book open in the final few days of October, we are seeing the positive impacts of sports wagering,” said Mike Rodman, executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association. "Sports wagering handle surpassed craps handle and came close to matching the combined handle of craps and roulette in October.”
South Dakota voters approved sports wagering in November 2020. The law went into effect July 1.
The gaming commission approved a Sept. 8 catalogue of sporting events that gamblers can place bets on, including Olympic events, professional and college sports. The determination allowed casinos in Deadwood to begin sports betting operations Sept. 9.
