As reported by the South Dakota Commission on Gaming, Deadwood’s casinos have seen a 1.61% decrease in June in a year-over-year comparison after May’s one-month rebound.
This is a continued trend from March and April, when gaming handle decreased by 6.25% and 13%, respectively. There was a slight increase in May with a positive gain of 1.77% when compared to May 2021. So far, in 2022, Deadwood’s casinos have experienced a 0.97% decrease over the same time frame in 2021.
Mike Rodman, executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association, explained that while June’s numbers were down slightly, “we are comparing them to a 20.88% increase in June of 2021. Visitation to Deadwood still remains historically strong”, Rapid City Journal reported.
In June, gamblers put more than $127 million in slot machines, $6.5 million in chip purchases for table games and $301,217 in sports bets. In all, visitors to Deadwood’s casinos spent nearly $134 million on wagers.
Slot machine handle decreased 1.47% when compared to June 2021, on Deadwood’s 2,601 machines. So far in 2022, slot machine handle is down by 1.18% compared to last year. The commission’s report shows Deadwood’s 93 table games saw an 8.28% decrease year-over-year, as they were down by 5.53% year-to-date.
Sports betting injected $301,217 in June’s handle, and a statistical win for gamblers of $27,869. These results were better for players than April’s results, which for the first time showed a loss since wagering was legalized last year. Most bets in April were placed on Major League Baseball games, followed by National Basketball Association and National Hockey League games.
The properties in the area had a taxable adjusted gross income of just over $11.7 million in June with $1.05 million in taxes due to various state, county and local government entities.
During the first semester of the year, gamblers in Deadwood have spent nearly $717 million on wagers and chip purchases, a decrease of 0-97% when compared to 2021. Slot machines handled nearly $672 million, a 1.18% decrease over the same period of time in 2021. Table games saw nearly $42 million in chip purchases, which also represented a decrease over 2021. Sports wagering year-to-date is nearly $3.5 million.
Furthermore, licensed gaming venues in Deadwood will now be required to prove to the South Dakota Commission on Gaming that they have put processes in place to watch for illegal activity and to keep compulsive people from betting. The new safeguards are part of a package of regulations that the Legislature’s Rules Review Committee gave final approval to last week.
