States Spending the Most and Least on Gambling

Michigan was home to three commercial casinos as well as 24 tribal casinos in 2019. Commercial casinos in the state reported $1.5 billion in revenue in 2019, an all-time record, up 0.7% from the previous year. Tax revenue generated by casino gambling totalled $355.7 million the same year, up 1.7% from the previous year.

Michigan residents spent an additional $3.5 billion on lottery tickets and games in 2019. Between commercial casinos and the state lottery, gambling expenditures totalled $5.0 billion in Michigan in 2019 — 10th highest among states — or $635 for every adult resident.

There were 13 casinos — each of them a riverboat casino — in Missouri in 2019. Patron spending at these establishments totalled $1.7 billion in 2019.

Though riverboat gambling spending in 2019 was 1.4% lower from the previous year, it still eclipsed the $1.4 billion state residents spent on lotto tickets the same year. Through both commercial casinos and lotteries, gambling spending totalled $3.1 billion in Missouri in 2019, or $658 for every adult.

Indiana is home to 13 commercial casinos, including eight riverboat casinos and two racinos, as well as one tribal casino. Spending at commercial casinos in the state totaled $2.2 billion in 2019, only marginally more than in the previous two years.

Indiana also has a state lottery, which, while not as popular as commercial casinos in the state, reported $1.3 billion in ticket sales in 2019. Combined gambling expenditures in Indiana totalled $3.5 billion in 2019, or $678 for each adult in the state.

There were 12 commercial casinos in Pennsylvania in 2019. That same year, patrons spent $3.4 billion on wagering, third most of any state. Casino spending was a boon for state finances, bringing in $1.5 billion in tax revenue, the most of any state in the country.

The Pennsylvania state lottery is even more popular than the state’s casinos, as lottery ticket spending totalled $4.2 billion in 2019. Combined spending on lottery tickets and in casinos totalled $7.6 billion in 2019, more than in every state except Nevada and New York.

Between New York state’s 12 commercial casinos — not including the 16 tribal casinos in the state — total spending hit an all-time high of $2.7 billion in 2019. Casino gambling was eclipsed, however, by lotto ticket sales, which at $8.8 billion in 2019 were the highest of any state in the country.

Combined spending on lottery tickets and at commercial casinos in New York totalled $11.6 billion in 2019, more than in every state except Nevada. Adjusting for population, however, spending totalled $750 for every adult, 11th most among states.