"You bet!"

It’s a colloquialism commonly heard in western South Dakota. An enthusiastic affirmative to such questions as:

"Hot enough (or cold enough) for you?"

"You bet!"

"May I have some cream for my coffee?"

"You bet!"

"Think we’ve had enough snow this winter?"

"You bet!"

It was the absolutely perfect campaign slogan for Deadwood’s efforts to legalize gambling in the small Northern Hills community.

Dan Schenkein, Deadwood’s Chamber of Commerce director in the mid-1980s, said, "You bet!" to concerned citizens seeking ways to save their dying town. And, as the saying goes, the rest is history.

In the 10 years since gambling was legalized the deteriorating town has been rebuilt, literally from the ground up.

Deadwood has become a vacation destination for history lovers as well as gamblers. They stand on street corners reading history lessons on display boards and pull out cameras and camcorders to film exteriors of elegantly renovated Victorian-era buildings.

They drop coins in slot machines and place bets at black jack and poker tables in the 92 casinos lining the historic brick-paved streets, making a significant impact on the economy of the entire state, as well as the Black Hills.

Hundreds of new jobs have been created by the gaming industry, including mine. Shortly after Deadwood celebrated its first gaming anniversary, the inaugural edition of  Deadwood Magazine was on the streets, born of a desire to share my enthusiasm about the historic town with readers across the United States.

We like to tell our readers that Deadwood is different. It’s not like Las Vegas, Atlantic City or one of the many Indian casinos scattered across the United States. It’s a place where the black jack dealer knows your first name; where the owner himself will probably congratulate you when you hit a big jackpot on one of his slot machines; where you scuff through sawdust to get a drink at your favorite watering hole.

Gambling hasn’t changed the friendly, small town atmosphere that has always existed in the mining camp born of the l876 gold rush. Legalized gambling has just added a new dimension to the Deadwood experience.

Have we enjoyed watching and recording the restoration and preservation of the historic Black Hills town?

You bet!