Tuesday, May 27, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

SLOTS DRIVE BETTING DOLLARS IN DEADWOOD

Silverado general manager Tom Rensch stands by the only slot machine in Deadwood, S.D., that lets people bet $100 at a crack. AP Photo

Slot machines rule the Deadwood gambling roost, accounting for the bulk of revenues. The latest state Gaming Commission report, through the first three-quarters of the fiscal year that began July 1, 2002, shows:

• Nickel slots are the most popular. Players plunked more than $54 million in nickel machines during the nine-month period.

• Quarter slots hold down the No. 2 spot. They accounted for $37.5 million in play through March.

• $1 slots rank third, at $29 million.

• Penny slots have seen the largest boost in play during the fiscal year, increasing 270 percent from the same period a year earlier. Players have put $17.5 million in pennies into slot machines since July 1. The increase is due to a big increase in machines. There were 290 penny machines in March compared to 54 a year earlier.

• $25 slots saw the second largest percentage increase in play. Players put $1.6 million in $25 slot machines through March, up 115 percent.

• Deadwood had a total of 3,001 slot machines in March compared to 2,717 a year earlier, an increase of 10 percent.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS