Deadwood Issues Casino License to Super G Investments

Super G Investments, the company that is buying the Franklin Hotel and Silverado gambling complex, got the go-ahead from the South Dakota Commission on Gaming on Monday.

New Casino Operator Now Has to Submit Proposals

The key license is issued to Jon Grant Lincoln. Lincoln is a gambling industry veteran who consults for ZenSports, a California-based phone-betting app, which has been rapidly growing its reach since sports betting became legal in the United States in 2018.

ZenSports is a newer entity on the market, but still an important one. The company obtained gaming licenses in Nevada to operate the Big Wheel Casino in Lovelock and The Book of Baldini’s in Reno. Back to Super G Investments and South Dakota, however, the company now has to submit all copies of proposed gaming contracts as per state law. They will be reviewed by the commission’s executive secretary.

“The executive secretary or the commission may approve or deny gaming contracts and require changes in the contracts before participation by the licensee is allowed,” says South Dakota’s law. This has been one of the fastest license-awarding processes in the commission’s history, with the regulator coming into the short 10-minute meeting with its minds pre-made.

The telecom conference which saw the license issued to Strategic Gaming Management quickly went through other license proposals as well. As the meeting was preparing to adjourn, Lincoln took the opportunity to praise the regulator for its swift decision-making. The commission noted that he was “welcome.”

Commission Known to Crack Down on Illegal Gambling

The commission has not always been in a giving mood. South Dakota has already targeted certain Deadwood properties and stripped Mustang Sally and an employee in the casino of their licenses back in October. The legalization of sports gambling has ushered in a new frenzy for placing bets.

Despite this minor regulator blip on the radar, sports betting has been going strong in Deadwood with no objections by the regulator apart from some minor and isolated incidents.