Nevada is the most gambling-friendly US state, according to a report by analysts from personal finance website WalletHub. South Dakota, Montana, West Virginia, and Mississippi are the other four states to be comprising top 5 of the recently published ranking.
WalletHub researched and compared the 50 states through two main dimensions – gambling friendliness, and problem gambling and treatment of problem gambling.
As mentioned above, Nevada proved to be the most gambling friendly state. This should not come as a surprise and does not come as a surprise, given the status of Nevada and Las Vegas, in particular, as the second largest casino gambling hub. Last year, the state generated casino win of $11.3 billion. Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, raked in the amount of $9.7 billion during the twelve months to December 31, 2016. On the other hand, Nevada ranked 10th in terms of problem gambling and treatment of gambling-related issues.
As reported by WalletHub, Nevada hosts the largest number of casinos per capita and of gaming machines per capita.
According to the ranking, New Jersey is the 10th most gambling-friendly state. The state ranks third in terms of problem gambling treatment when compared to the other 49 US states. Atlantic City is the only place where casino gambling is allowed within New Jersey. The city, once the most popular gambling hub on the East Coast, currently has seven operational casinos and is likely to see expansion of its casino industry in the next few years, with a Hard Rock Casino set to open doors next summer.
Hawaii and Utah are the least gambling-friendly states, according to WalletHub analysts. Gambling options in both states are very limited, which perfectly explains their bottom position in the gambling friendliness ranking. However, the gambling status quo may change in Hawaii, if a proposed bill for the legalization of iGaming options gains the necessary support.
A 2014 study conducted by Oxford Economics and commissioned by the American Gaming Association (AGA) showed that the US gambling industry contributed $240 billion to the US economy, or the combined budgets of New York State and Texas. Tax revenue from gambling different gambling options provided within US borders amounted to $38 billion.
Here it is important to note that the AGA report contained information about the nation’s legal gambling industry. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 banned the provision of remote gambling services to US residents but despite the ban, multiple online gaming business continued accepting US players. The country is thus losing billions of dollars to international operators.
There is a clear and considerable demand for online gambling among US players and this is why a number of states are currently considering the legalization of one form of iGaming or another. It is yet to be seen how many of them, if any, will make online gambling legal by the end of the year.
