South Dakota April Casino Revenue Rises as Study Shows Highest Casinos Per Capita in the Country

The South Dakota Department of Revenue has revealed the state’s gambling numbers for April, revealing an 8.1% increase in revenue. In April 2025, casinos generated $12.2 million in revenue, rising from $11.3 million the year prior.

The numbers come amid a report from WalletHub showing South Dakota has some of the highest number of casinos and gambling machines per capita in the US. 

Low-Value Slots Power South Dakota Revenue Increase

While many US states report casino revenue operator-by-operator, South Dakota releases data based on different game types. Despite eight of the 13 game types seeing revenue declines, overall revenue rose.

The most significant reason behind this was $0.01 slot games, which accounted for $9.4 million in revenue, the most of any type of gambling in SD. That amount dwarfed totals from previous months, like November 2024. The slot type saw a nearly 13% increase in revenues, which powered the state's year-on-year growth.

That boost offsets drops in revenues from $25 slots (86.3%), $5 slots (51.7%), $0.50 slots (18.6%), and $0.25 slots (10.1%). The only slot game that did not see a drop was $1 slots, with a 5.6% year-on-year increase in revenues. 

While revenue for craps, blackjack, and player-banked poker increased year over year, revenue for player-banked poker dropped 3%. Meanwhile, roulette revenue declined 44.7%.

South Dakota Casino Revenue Rises as Research Confirms High Volume of Gambling per Capita

Analysts from WalletHub have used data from the US Census Bureau and the American Gaming Association to conclude that South Dakota is tied with Nevada, Montana, and Oklahoma as the states with the highest concentration of gambling machines and casinos per capita. 

WalletHub estimates that as of December 2024, there were 11,000 gambling machines in South Dakota, located in over 1,400 establishments.  According to the American Gaming Association, commercial and tribal casinos in the state account for almost 5,000 jobs and have a $623 million annual impact on the South Dakota economy. 

With the April revenue figures showing the gambling industry in South Dakota still growing, the state’s high position in the highest concentration of gambling machines and casinos per capita seems to be working.