Data from the South Dakota Commission on Gaming has shown that October saw the casinos in Deadwood receive a 20% increase in year-on-year revenues following the introduction of sports betting. The Rapid City Journal reported that Deadwood gamblers spent over $116m on slots, $8.3m on table game bets and $815,036 on sports bets. Sports betting in South Dakota was legalised in July and betting actually began in early September, once the Commission on Gaming had approved the list of approved sporting events. This includes most professional and college sports, with most bets were placed on professional and college football. Overall, gamblers spent almost $1.3bn in Deadwood casinos through the first 10 months of 2021, up almost 40% from 2020, when Covid-19 forced closures.
