Gambling is becoming legal in more states and in different ways as of late. With online betting and the rising popularity of fantasy sports and sports betting, there are more ways than ever to wager.
Many people consider gambling ill-advised or even sinful. In some of the most religious states gambling is outlawed in some or all forms because of moral objections.
Yet it is allowed and even encouraged by other states as taxes on casinos and profits from lotteries add hundreds of millions of dollars to state coffers where gambling is permitted. The states that allow gambling collected a total of $35.1 billion in 2016, helping to offset state debt
24/7 Wall St. reviewed lottery spending data from the U.S. Census Bureau and commercial casino spending data from the American Gaming Association to determine the states spending the most and least on gambling.
The average American adult spends around $261 on casinos and lottery tickets per year. This amount, however, is not evenly spread out. In Nevada, home of Las Vegas, nearly $5,000 per adult resident flowed into the state. In two states, casino and lottery gambling is barred by state law, so residents cannot spend any money on legally operated and taxed gambling.
Click here to read about the states spending the most and least on gambling.
To determine the states where residents spend the most on gambling, 24/7 Wall St. combined casino and lottery revenue per adult in every state and divided by the 2016 state population. 2016 consumer spending in commercial casinos comes from the 2016 State of the States report from the American Gaming Association. The AGA defines commercial casinos as privately owned and licensed by the state. Included are land-based, riverboat, dockside, and racetrack casinos. Because comprehensive data are not available, revenue from tribal casinos are excluded in state totals.
2016 lottery spending is from the U.S. Census Bureau and is the difference between total lottery income and prizes paid to players. Because total state tax revenues are available only through 2016, to calculate the share of total state tax revenue that comes from gambling, 2016 spending data from the AGA was used instead of 2017 for the calculation. Population estimates are from the U.S. Census Bureau and are for 2016.
Source: Eric Tessmer / Wikimedia Commons
50. Hawaii*
> Total spending per adult: $0
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $0
> State tax revenue from gambling: $0.0 million
*No state gambling or lottery permitted
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Source: JERRYE AND KLOTZ MD / Wikimedia Commons
49. Utah*
> Total spending per adult: $0
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $0
> State tax revenue from gambling: $0.0 million
*No state gambling or lottery permitted
Source: AuburnPilot / Wikimedia Commons
48. Alabama*
> Total spending per adult: N/A
> Casino spending per adult: N/A
> Lottery spending per adult: $0
> State tax revenue from gambling: $0.0 million
*casino operations are operated by sovereign tribal governments and not included in this report
Source: photographingtravis / Flickr
47. Alaska*
> Total spending per adult: $0
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $0
> State tax revenue from gambling: $0.0 million
*casino operations are operated by sovereign tribal governments and not included in this report
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Source: Cliff / Wikimedia Commons
46. Wyoming
> Total spending per adult: $20
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $20
> State tax revenue from gambling: $8.7 million
Source: Andrew Filer / Flickr
45. North Dakota
> Total spending per adult: $27
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $27
> State tax revenue from gambling: $15.6 million
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Source: mattalberts / Getty Images
44. Idaho
> Total spending per adult: $31
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $31
> State tax revenue from gambling: $38.4 million
Source: Jon Bilous / Shutterstock.com
43. Montana
> Total spending per adult: $32
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $32
> State tax revenue from gambling: $26.2 million
Source: AndreyKrav / Getty Images
42. Minnesota
> Total spending per adult: $38
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $38
> State tax revenue from gambling: $162.4 million
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Source: Pung / Shutterstock.com
41. Washington
> Total spending per adult: $40
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $40
> State tax revenue from gambling: $226.0 million
Source: wellesenterprises / Getty Images
40. Nebraska
> Total spending per adult: $44
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $44
> State tax revenue from gambling: $63.4 million
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Source: mdesigner125 / Getty Images
39. Arizona
> Total spending per adult: $48
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $48
> State tax revenue from gambling: $254.3 million
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Source: BlazenImages / Getty Images
38. Arkansas
> Total spending per adult: $53
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $53
> State tax revenue from gambling: $120.9 million
Source: Ron_Thomas / Getty Images
37. Wisconsin
> Total spending per adult: $57
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $57
> State tax revenue from gambling: $254.6 million
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Source: Majestic_Aerials / Getty Images
36. Oklahoma
> Total spending per adult: $70
> Casino spending per adult: $38
> Lottery spending per adult: $32
> State tax revenue from gambling: $114.9 million
Source: redjar / Flickr
35. Vermont
> Total spending per adult: $72
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $72
> State tax revenue from gambling: $36.4 million
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Source: SpVVK / Getty Images
34. California
> Total spending per adult: $77
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $77
> State tax revenue from gambling: $2,319.8 million
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Source: RoschetzkyIstockPhoto / Getty Images
33. Texas
> Total spending per adult: $78
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $78
> State tax revenue from gambling: $1,607.8 million
Source: alexeys / Getty Images
32. Kentucky
> Total spending per adult: $88
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $88
> State tax revenue from gambling: $300.7 million
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Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
31. New Hampshire
> Total spending per adult: $91
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $91
> State tax revenue from gambling: $97.5 million
Source: RickSause / Getty Images
30. North Carolina
> Total spending per adult: $92
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $92
> State tax revenue from gambling: $726.1 million
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Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
29. Virginia
> Total spending per adult: $105
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $105
> State tax revenue from gambling: $685.9 million
Source: pom-angers / Flickr
28. South Carolina
> Total spending per adult: $114
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $114
> State tax revenue from gambling: $440.2 million
Source: Imilious / Wikimedia Commons
27. Tennessee
> Total spending per adult: $130
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $130
> State tax revenue from gambling: $669.7 million
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Source: Kirkikis / iStock
26. Connecticut
> Total spending per adult: $142
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $142
> State tax revenue from gambling: $401.8 million
Source: Sumter BOCC / Wikimedia Commons
25. Florida
> Total spending per adult: $146
> Casino spending per adult: $33
> Lottery spending per adult: $113
> State tax revenue from gambling: $2,053.6 million
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Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
24. Georgia
> Total spending per adult: $165
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $165
> State tax revenue from gambling: $1,282.8 million
Source: jtstewartphoto / iStock
23. Maine
> Total spending per adult: $188
> Casino spending per adult: $124
> Lottery spending per adult: $65
> State tax revenue from gambling: $122.9 million
Source: Baiterek Media / Shutterstock.com
22. New Mexico
> Total spending per adult: $190
> Casino spending per adult: $146
> Lottery spending per adult: $44
> State tax revenue from gambling: $130.6 million
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Source: wellesenterprises / iStock
21. Kansas
> Total spending per adult: $211
> Casino spending per adult: $166
> Lottery spending per adult: $45
> State tax revenue from gambling: $189.8 million
Source: BoucherPhotoStudio / iStock
20. Oregon
> Total spending per adult: $222
> Casino spending per adult: $0
> Lottery spending per adult: $222
> State tax revenue from gambling: $715.9 million
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Source: f11photo / Getty Images
19. Colorado
> Total spending per adult: $232
> Casino spending per adult: $190
> Lottery spending per adult: $42
> State tax revenue from gambling: $297.5 million
Source: marchello74 / Getty Images
18. Illinois
> Total spending per adult: $246
> Casino spending per adult: $143
> Lottery spending per adult: $103
> State tax revenue from gambling: $1,496.1 million
Source: stresstensor / Getty Images
17. Massachusetts
> Total spending per adult: $285
> Casino spending per adult: $29
> Lottery spending per adult: $256
> State tax revenue from gambling: $1,467.6 million
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Source: Sherman Cahal / Shutterstock.com
16. Ohio
> Total spending per adult: $292
> Casino spending per adult: $188
> Lottery spending per adult: $104
> State tax revenue from gambling: $1,503.1 million
Source: SolomonCrowe / Getty Images
15. Michigan
> Total spending per adult: $300
> Casino spending per adult: $179
> Lottery spending per adult: $121
> State tax revenue from gambling: $1,272.0 million
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
14. South Dakota
> Total spending per adult: $351
> Casino spending per adult: $161
> Lottery spending per adult: $191
> State tax revenue from gambling: $140.1 million
Source: GummyBone / iStock
13. New York
> Total spending per adult: $368
> Casino spending per adult: $130
> Lottery spending per adult: $239
> State tax revenue from gambling: $4,634.1 million
Source: ymn / Getty Images
12. Maryland
> Total spending per adult: $392
> Casino spending per adult: $258
> Lottery spending per adult: $135
> State tax revenue from gambling: $1,105.4 million
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Source: pamwood707 / Flickr
11. Pennsylvania
> Total spending per adult: $439
> Casino spending per adult: $318
> Lottery spending per adult: $121
> State tax revenue from gambling: $2,613.4 million
Source: marekuliasz / Getty Images
10. Missouri
> Total spending per adult: $450
> Casino spending per adult: $365
> Lottery spending per adult: $86
> State tax revenue from gambling: $847.0 million
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Source: MelissaAnneGalleries / iStock
9. Indiana
> Total spending per adult: $508
> Casino spending per adult: $438
> Lottery spending per adult: $70
> State tax revenue from gambling: $951.0 million
Source: Kirkikis / iStock
8. New Jersey
> Total spending per adult: $528
> Casino spending per adult: $374
> Lottery spending per adult: $154
> State tax revenue from gambling: $1,308.5 million
Source: locosteve / Flickr
7. Iowa
> Total spending per adult: $661
> Casino spending per adult: $601
> Lottery spending per adult: $60
> State tax revenue from gambling: $477.5 million
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Source: Robert John Photography / Getty Images
6. Louisiana
> Total spending per adult: $770
> Casino spending per adult: $712
> Lottery spending per adult: $58
> State tax revenue from gambling: $810.8 million
Source: Wikimedia Commons / Brian M. Powell
5. West Virginia
> Total spending per adult: $811
> Casino spending per adult: $450
> Lottery spending per adult: $360
> State tax revenue from gambling: $828.3 million
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Source: mdgmorris / Getty Images
4. Delaware
> Total spending per adult: $930
> Casino spending per adult: $540
> Lottery spending per adult: $390
> State tax revenue from gambling: $448.5 million
Source: Tiago_Fernandez / Getty Images
3. Mississippi
> Total spending per adult: $937
> Casino spending per adult: $937
> Lottery spending per adult: $0
> State tax revenue from gambling: $253.9 million
Source: Adrian Wojcik / Getty Images
2. Rhode Island
> Total spending per adult: $1,178
> Casino spending per adult: $730
> Lottery spending per adult: $449
> State tax revenue from gambling: $701.5 million
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Source: f11photo / Getty Images
1. Nevada
> Total spending per adult: $4,973
> Casino spending per adult: $4,973
> Lottery spending per adult: $0
> State tax revenue from gambling: $900.6 million
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