South Dakota Casino Revenues Up 1.83% In September, Barrel Racer Wins 19 NFR Title

The South Dakota Department of Revenue released a report showing that the state’s 22 commercial casinos generated over $15 million in total revenues (statistical wins) in September, representing a less than 1.83% increase year-over-year compared to $14.7 million in revenues generated in September 2024. September figures comprise table game revenues of $1.2 million and slot revenues of $13.7 million. 

Table Games Free Falling

Table games saw an overall dramatic year-on-year decline of 10.3%, with the game experiencing the most significant drop being roulette, which generated revenues of $41.7 million this September, nearly 77.5% less than the $74.1 million earned in 2024. Other table games experiencing year-over-year declines in September include house-banked poker (-27.74%), player-banked poker (-15.25%), and craps (-4.33%). The only table game to see an increase in September was blackjack, generating revenues of $501 million, a 11.54% year-over-year increase. 

Mixed Results for Slot Machines 

Of the nine slot categories, five saw revenue increase and four saw a decline. The largest increase year-on-year was generated by $25.00 slots (58.96%), followed by $0.10 slots (+40.08%), while the $5.00 slots reported a triple-digit year-over-year decline (-161.60%), from $320,888 in revenues in September 2024, to $122,662 this year. Slot machines generated a total of $13.7 million in revenues, compared to $13.3 million in September 2024, recording a 2.97% year-on-year growth.  

NFL Favorites Drive Most Betting Handles

While South Dakota does not have its own NFL team, fans in the state closely follow the two teams that play their home games closest to the state’s borders: the Minnesota Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs. Out of the total $1,120,242.46 sports betting handle collected in South Dakota’s sportsbooks in September, NFL wagers saw the largest share of $535.520.62. Football fans in the state received a payout of 78.65% in September, leaving sportsbook operators with a statistical win of $114,341.70.  

South Dakota Barrel Racer Ties Qualification Records

A more local sport close to the heart of South Dakotans is RERodeo, with the state’s legend, barrel racer Lisa Lockhart, who has made 19 trips to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the past two decades. From July through September, Lockhart climbed through the rankings, finishing the regular season #6 in the world.