As reported by the South Dakota Commission on Gaming, Deadwood’s casinos saw record gains in 2021 with year-end gaming handle increasing by nearly 35% over 2020, surpassing more than $1.5 billion in bets placed throughout the year.
Slot machines led the way with more than $1.4 billion handled, a 34.07% increase over 2020. Table games handled more than $91 million in bets, in a 45.18% increase year-over-year.
When it comes to sports betting, five properties in the area offered the option, and won just over $10,000. The majority of bets were placed on professional and college football games. Sports wagering was approved in November 2020, with the law going into effect on July 1, 2021. The market went live in September.
December’s gaming handle also perceived an increase by 11.45% over December 2020. The report shows gamblers bet nearly $103 million in slot machines, more than $6.8 million in table game bets, and $675,311 in sports bets.
Deadwood’s casinos spent more than $110.4 million on wagers in the last month of the year. Slot machine handle increased 10.61% and table game handle grew 13.14% compared to 2020. The casinos had a taxable adjusted gross revenue of more than $10 million in December, with $998,520 in taxes due to various state, county and local government entities.
Casinos rewarded players with more than $1.5 million in “free play”. Deadwood’s 2,636 slot machines awarded players with more than $9.4 million in winnings, the majority of which came from penny slot machines. Most table game winnings came from black jack and house-banked poker games.