There is a new casino operator headed to Deadwood, South Dakota.
This new operator in the Mount Rushmore State has purchased the Silverado-Franklin Historic Hotel & Gaming Complex.
So, just who is this new operator of the Silverado Franklin? And what plans do they have for the hotel and casino that has stood for so long? Is this good or bad news for the town of Deadwood?
Let us dive into all that we know.
Who is this new operator in Deadwood, and what are the details?
On April 24, the South Dakota Commission on Gaming had a special teleconference to discuss the potential new operator of the Silverado Franklin.
On the call was the South Dakota Commission on Gaming, discussing the potential of approving Super G Investments (SGMSD, LLC) to buy the Silverado Franklin and also approve their operator and retail licenses to run the establishment.
After just about ten minutes, approval was granted to Super G Investments (SGMSD, LLC), and Jon Grant Lincoln was named the key licensee.
“Everything was first class, professional, really enjoyed the process,” Lincoln said, according to KeloLand.com, who went on to say that he hopes to “sooner rather than later,” take time to meet the commission members on an individual basis.
Lincoln is the chief executive officer for Strategic Gaming Management, which is based out of Missoula in Montana. In addition to his duties as chief executive officer for Strategic Gaming Management, Lincoln also consults for ZenSports, which is a phone betting app business that hails from West Hollywood. It is safe to say that Lincoln has a fair share of experience in this space.
As the meeting concluded and Super G Investments (SGMSD, LLC) was approved for their licenses, South Dakota Commission on Gaming Chair Wagner finished things off by welcoming the new operator to Deadwood.
Could the new operator renovate or change things at the Silverado Franklin
There are no official renovations or plans that have been released or even rumored right now. It seems like Super G Investments (SGMSD, LLC) and Lincoln are taking a moment to put all of their ducks in a row to attack the coming plans with ambition and tact.
There is sure to be some type of renovation as the new operators make the Silverado Franklin their own space for their customers with their own touch, but that means little without any detail. Just saying ‘there will likely be plans’ provides essentially no information.
So, what does that mean for the town of Deadwood and the Silverado Franklin? Right now, not much. This is simply the approval process that allows Lincoln and Super G Investments (SGMSD, LLC) to begin taking charge of their new endeavor.
That being said, over the last few years, there has been a lot of interest in buying properties in Deadwood. Do any of those purchasing and renovation processes provide any insight into what Lincoln and Super G Investments (SGMSD, LLC) might do with the Silverado Franklin?
Fortunately, yes, there does seem to be some common threads between other sales and transfers of operation in the town of Deadwood.
New operator follows trend of people investing in Deadwood area
What can the past indicate about the future of the Silverado Franklin now that it is operated by Lincoln and Super G Investments (SGMSD, LLC)?
Steve Slowey — owner of two historic hotels known as the Bullock and Hickock’s, which each sit on Main Street in Deadwood – spoke with Black Hills Pioneer back in January of 2021 about his own process from buying the property and getting approval for his licenses.
After all of that process, Slowey said their next step was to simply make a plan; a structure that Super G Investments (SGMSD, LLC) and Lincoln will likely have to follow.
“Our plan is to make a plan,” Slowey said to Black Hills Pioneer. “On both hotels, we plan to do some remodeling and build interest in both hotels, and we have other partners that will be involved in that. But right now, we’re just making plans. We really don’t have anything to announce, other than we’re going to run good operations. Both the old owners were good owners. I know both of them and they had good operations, but we, just, are planning on improving on that.”
Deadwood is a historically gorgeous area in the Black Hills that requires a bit of patina. Using these buildings that have already been built and simply renovating the space is usually the ideal middle ground between keeping the Black Hills aesthetic while still creating an inviting and comfortable environment for guests and patrons. That is what Slowey chose to do, and it will be a choice that Lincoln and Super G Investments (SGMSD, LLC) will have to make as well about the Silverado Franklin.
Only time will tell what the plans for the Silverado-Franklin Historic Hotel & Gaming Complex will be.
