Deadwood casinos rebound in October

Rapid City Journal
 
Wild Casino

Positive gains returned to Deadwood's casinos in October after a slight downturn was reported in September to the South Dakota Commission on Gaming.

According to the report, the total gaming handle increased by 6.76% for the month, when compared to October 2021. The results also increased the 2022 year-to-date handle for 2022 by 0.43% over the previous year.

"We are pleased to see that October again pushed year-to-date numbers over last year’s record-breaking revenue,” said Mike Rodman, executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association. “We are thankful to Deadwood’s visitors for their resiliency in keeping Deadwood their favorite entertainment destination.”

In October, gamblers put more than $125.5 million in slot machines, $7.7 million in chip purchases for table games, and $862,169 in sports bets. In all, visitors to Deadwood's casinos spent just over $134 million on wagers and chip purchases in October.

Slot machine handle increased 7.67% in October, when compared to October 2021, on Deadwood's 2,515 machines. So far in 2022, slot machine handle is up by 0.4% compared to 2021.

The commission's report shows Deadwood's 87 table games saw a 5.96% decrease when compared to October 2021. Table games are down by 4.62% year-to-date.

Sports wagering included $862,169.97 in October's handle and a statistical win for gamblers of $131,749.44. Most bets in October were placed on National Football League games, followed by college football and Major League Baseball.

The casinos had a taxable adjusted gross income of just over $12 million in October, with $1,086,318.39 in taxes due to various state, county and local government entities.

Through the first 10 months of 2022, gamblers in Deadwood have spent nearly $1.3 billion on wagers and chip purchases.

So far in 2022, slot machines handled more than $1.2 billion. Table games saw over $74 million in chip purchases, a decrease compared to 2021. Sports wagering year-to-date is nearly $5.6 million.

The report showed casinos rewarded players with almost $1.5 million in "free play" during October.