After two months of gaming handle decline, Deadwood's casinos saw an increase in gambling for May, but results are still down for the calendar year.
According to the South Dakota Commission on Gaming's report for May, the total gaming handle increased by 1.77% when compared to May 2021. That is a positive turn from March and April, where gaming handle decreased by 6.52% and 13%, respectively. So far in 2022, Deadwood's casinos have experienced a 0.82% decrease over the same time frame in 2021.
In May, gamblers put more than $123 million in slot machines, $7.7 million in chip purchases for table games, and $307,994 in sports bets. In all, visitors to Deadwood's casinos spent more than $131 million on wagers and chip purchases in May.
"We were pleased to see May’s numbers up, especially when compared to a strong May in 2021,” said Mike Rodman, executive director of the Deadwood Gaming Association. “May is usually a good indication of the trend for the summer season.”
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Slot machine handle increased 2.34% in May, when compared to May 2021, on Deadwood's 2,566 machines. However, so far in 2022, slot machine handle is down by 1.12% compared to 2021.
The commission's report shows Deadwood's 87 table games saw a 9.74% decrease when compared to May 2021. Table games are down by 5% year-to-date.
Sports wagering included $307,944.74 in May's handle and a statistical win for gamblers of $25,102.37. 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 May were placed on Major League Baseball games, followed by National Basketball Association games.
The casinos had a taxable adjusted gross income of just over $11.8 million in May, with $1,063,151.62 in taxes due to various state, county and local government entities.
Through the first five months of 2022, gamblers in Deadwood have spent more than $582 million on wagers and chip purchases, a decrease of 0.82% when compared to 2021.
So far in 2022, slot machines handled nearly $545 million, a 1.12% decrease over the same time period in 2021. Table games saw just over $35 million in chip purchases, also a decrease over 2021. Sports wagering year-to-date is nearly $3.2 million.
The report showed casinos rewarded players with nearly $1.4 million in "free play" during April.
