BetMGM Study Shows South Dakota Among Top States for Casino Tourism

A new study from BetMGM reveals that South Dakota is among one of the top states for casino tourism. Each state was assigned a score out of 100 based on factors such as the number of casinos per 100,000 residents, number of casino employees per capita, Uber and Lyft fees, Wi-Fi speed, and hotel casino options.

South Dakota ranks just below Nevada, Louisiana, and Oklahoma for casino tourism in the BetMGM study

South Dakota’s overall rating across all casinos on TripAdvisor is 4.06, which ties with four other states for the third-highest average rating. With a score of 75.2 out of 100, South Dakota ranks just below Nevada (87.3), Louisiana (81.9), and Oklahoma (81.8).

Overall, South Dakota has a higher score than North Dakota (69.4), Mississippi (68.1), New Mexico (66.8), Colorado (63), Washington (60.1), Arizona (60), Indiana (59.8), Florida (59.5), Montana (58.7), and Minnesota (57.3).

South Dakota ranks third in number of casinos per 100,000 residents at 43.9. North Dakota and Iowa, respectively, rank fifth and sixth overall. Minnesota ranks 15th overall while Nebraska ranks 41st.

The average cost for Airbnb in the Mount Rushmore State is $257.10, according to the BetMGM study. That’s cheaper than Massachusetts ($348.70), New York ($327.27), Rhode Island ($313.05), Connecticut ($292.81), and North Carolina ($273.55).

Average cost of airfare into South Dakota is $425.03

However, the average cost of airfare into South Dakota is $425.03. It’s on the more expensive side. The states with the highest airfare costs are Mississippi ($481.98), Alabama ($473.47), Arkansas ($472.47), Montana ($446.68), Kansas ($437), Oklahoma ($433.41), and Michigan ($427.73).

Arguably the best casinos in the Mount Rushmore State are the Dakota Sioux Casino & Hotel and Royal River Casino & Hotel. Prairie Wind Casino & Hotel, Grand River Casino & Resort, and Fort Randall Casino & Hotel are other options.

More importantly, it should be noted that not all U.S. jurisdictions were included in the BetMGM study. The data excludes Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

According to a recent WalletHub study, South Dakota ranks second behind just Nevada on the most gambling-addicted U.S. states list. Montana, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania rank third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.

South Dakota and Montana are the only two gambling-addicted states in the top five without a professional sports team, unlike Nevada, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania.

States without legalized sports betting and/or sports teams must rely on casino tourism for tax revenue.