How Much Did Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Other States Spend on Gambling

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How Much Did Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Other States Spend on Gambling

Saturday, April 24, 2021

Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square

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.

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.

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

Posted on Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square

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