Special Report

This is How Much New Hampshire Spends on Gambling

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Samuel Stebbins
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The 465 commercial casinos operating in the United States at the end of 2019 reported a combined revenue of $43.6 billion — an all-time high. Gambling in the United States is by no means limited to casinos, either. All but six states had lottery games in 2019, and lottery ticket sales totalled $81.6 billion that year.

Between both lotteries and commercial casinos, Americans and tourists spent $125.2 billion on gambling in 2019 — or about $491 for every adult in the country. Of course, gambling laws, which can restrict gambling opportunities, vary by state, as does interest in gambling. And residents of some states spend far more on lottery tickets and at casinos than others.

New Hampshire was the first state in the country to have a lottery. The state lottery, which was legalized in 1964, reported $366.9 million in ticket sales in 2019, less than in the vast majority of states with a lottery. However, adjusting for population, per capita lotto ticket sales in the state totaled $332 per adult, more than in all but 14 states.

There are no commercial casinos or tribal casinos operating in New Hampshire. There are, however, bingo, raffle, and poker rooms that brand themselves as casinos. These venues are legally required to be run by charitable organizations.

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the American Gaming Association, 24/7 Wall St. identified the states spending the most and least on gambling. States were ranked based on total spending on lottery tickets and in commercial casino gaming per adult 18 years and over in 2019. Gaming revenue refers to the amount earned by commercial casinos after winnings have been paid out to patrons.

Exactly what constitutes commercial casino revenue can vary by state. See the AGA report for a full methodological explanation.It is important to note that while there were 524 tribal casinos in the United States in 2019, these institutions are subject to different regulations than commercial casinos, and revenue from these establishments were not included in this story. Click here to see how much people spend on the lottery in every state.

 

Rank State Lottery and casino spending per adult; 2019 ($) Lottery ticket sales per adult ($) Commercial casino consumer spending per adult ($)
1 Nevada 5,035 N/A 5,035
2 Rhode Island 1,594 813 781
3 Delaware 1,370 784 586
4 Massachusetts 1,121 991 130
5 New Jersey 972 473 500
6 Mississippi 966 N/A 966
7 West Virginia 880 440 440
8 Maryland 839 466 373
9 Louisiana 837 147 690
10 Iowa 772 161 611
11 New York 750 573 177
12 Pennsylvania 743 410 333
13 Indiana 678 243 435
14 Missouri 658 295 363
15 Michigan 635 449 185
16 Ohio 557 344 213
17 Georgia 525 525 N/A
18 Connecticut 470 470 N/A
19 South Carolina 456 456 N/A
20 Illinois 439 302 137
21 South Dakota 431 266 165
22 Florida 425 392 33
23 Arkansas 406 222 184
24 Maine 405 273 132
25 New Hampshire 332 332 N/A
26 Oregon 326 326 N/A
27 North Carolina 325 325 N/A
28 Colorado 325 140 185
29 Virginia 324 324 N/A
30 Kentucky 307 307 N/A
31 Kansas 302 114 188
32 Tennessee 289 289 N/A
33 Texas 274 274 N/A
34 Vermont 273 273 N/A
35 California 241 241 N/A
36 New Mexico 239 88 150
37 Idaho 199 199 N/A
38 Arizona 178 178 N/A
39 Wisconsin 149 149 N/A
40 Minnesota 147 147 N/A
41 Washington 135 135 N/A
42 Oklahoma 127 81 47
43 Nebraska 123 123 N/A
44 Montana 76 76 N/A
45 Wyoming 68 68 N/A
46 North Dakota 58 58 N/A
47 Alabama – N/A N/A
48 Alaska – N/A N/A
49 Hawaii – N/A N/A
50 Utah – N/A N/A

 

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