Closed on March 25 due to Covid-19, casinos in Deadwood, South Dakota were among the earliest to reopen, on May 6. Now with June numbers in, Deadwood Gaming Association Executive Director Mike Rodman said, “I do think it’s a record June. We were able to benefit by some pent-up demand for gaming play.”
He said June handle was up 13.75 percent over June 2019, and taxable adjustable gross revenue totaled $10.24 million with a 15.4 percent increase for slots and a 12.08 percent drop for table games. “While this $1.3 million dollar gaming increase is certainly a welcome relief to Deadwood operators, Deadwood still has a long way to go to make up the $11.4 million in previous gaming losses caused by the Covid-19 economic shutdown,” Rodman said.
The increase in betting occurred with 14 percent fewer licensed devices, Rodman said, since the state Commission on Gaming determined in June that unlicensed devices could remain on casino floors through December 31 as long as they could not be played, to benefit to slot-machine and table owners. As of July 1, Rodman said casinos had 2,416 licensed and 402 unlicensed devices, of which 135 were disconnected.
