Posted by: Adam McCann

Gambling exists in every state, even Hawaii and Utah, where gambling is prohibited by law. But all gamblers are different. “Recreational” or “social” gamblers, for instance, buy the occasional lottery ticket, take the rare casino trip or bet small stakes in fantasy sports. But they also are mentally able to quit at any point and prevent catastrophic financial loss.

But when the business or pleasure gets out of control, gambling becomes a real medical condition. Gambling disorder, as it’s known, affects about 1-3 percent of all U.S. adults. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Gambling can stimulate the brain's reward system much like drugs such as alcohol can, leading to addiction.”

That addiction can lead to serious economic consequences. For example, U.S. consumers experience over $100 billion per year in total gambling losses. Individually, a male gambling addict accumulates an average debt of between $55,000 and $90,000 whereas a female averages $15,000. Most cannot afford to pay back what they owe. As a result, gambling addicts develop a high tendency to amass even more debt, suffer from other health issues, lose their jobs, strain their relationships or even commit crimes.

The gambling problem, however, is much bigger in some states than in others. WalletHub therefore compared the 50 states to determine where excessive gambling is most prevalent. Our data set of 19 key metrics ranges from presence of illegal gambling operations to lottery sales per capita to share of adults with gambling disorders. Read on for our findings, insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.

With the Kentucky Derby approaching and gamblers preparing to bet on their favorite horses, WalletHub also released its 2018 Kentucky Derby Facts & History infographic .

1. Main Findings
2. Ask the Experts
3. Methodology

Main Findings

Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/20846/geochart-gambling-2018.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://bit.ly/2PotdnI>  

Most Gambling-Addicted States

Overall Rank (1 = Most Addicted)	State	Total Score	‘Gambling-Friendliness’ Rank	‘Gambling Problem & Treatment’ Rank
1	Nevada	62.43	1	10
2	South Dakota	53.11	3	8
3	Montana	52.90	2	20
4	Mississippi	51.84	7	1
5	Louisiana	44.77	6	13
6	West Virginia	44.66	5	15
7	Oregon	43.03	4	39
8	New Jersey	42.58	16	2
9	Illinois	39.57	25	3
10	Oklahoma	38.91	8	36
11	Tennessee	37.71	19	7
12	Rhode Island	36.07	14	22
13	Maryland	35.80	26	6
14	Delaware	35.63	11	25
15	Pennsylvania	35.34	9	30
16	Missouri	34.64	31	4
17	New York	34.28	10	37
18	California	33.39	15	26
19	Massachusetts	32.86	17	18
20	Colorado	32.60	20	19
21	Iowa	32.55	21	17
22	North Dakota	31.52	12	47
23	Ohio	30.90	22	23
24	Idaho	30.25	27	24
25	New Mexico	29.22	13	49
26	Virginia	29.05	18	43
27	Indiana	28.61	24	32
28	Wyoming	28.37	28	33
29	Texas	28.36	39	9
30	Minnesota	27.51	32	14
31	Michigan	26.54	29	35
32	New Hampshire	26.50	34	21
33	South Carolina	26.47	38	16
34	Hawaii	26.45	49	5
35	Kansas	24.58	41	12
36	Arkansas	24.34	33	29
37	Connecticut	23.74	23	50
38	Florida	23.23	30	46
39	Arizona	23.01	35	40
40	Vermont	22.78	36	38
41	Maine	22.08	47	11
42	Georgia	21.79	37	45
43	Wisconsin	20.50	42	42
44	Alaska	19.63	44	28
45	Washington	19.36	43	34
46	North Carolina	18.89	45	31
47	Utah	17.87	50	27
48	Kentucky	17.20	40	48
49	Alabama	17.19	46	44
50	Nebraska	16.60	48	41

 

Ask the Experts

Over the years, more advanced technology has paved the way for new forms of gambling, such as iGaming, online fantasy sports and video poker. And while the estimated $240 billion gaming industry is no doubt a major contributor to the U.S. economy, its critics argue that gambling leads to social and economic problems, including gambling disorder and regressive taxes in areas where gambling facilities are present. For more insight, we asked the following key questions to a panel of gaming-industry experts:

1. Should sports betting be legal in all states? What are its pros and cons?
2. Should daily fantasy sports be regulated as gambling?
3. On balance, are state lotteries a good idea? Is there a way to make them less regressive?
4. What are the signs someone is addicted to gambling? What should friends and family do to help?

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• Kevin S. Montes Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Nancy A. Piotrowski Ph.D. – Lead & Core Faculty, Addiction Psychology, College of Professional Studies, Harold Abel School of Social of Psychology, Capella University
• Cory Aronovitz Managing Member, Casino Law Group LLC
• Robert Leeman Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Department of Health Education & Behavior, University of Florida
• Rich Trachok Lecturer, Berkeley School of Law, University of California

Methodology

In order to determine where gambling addiction is most prevalent and harmful in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key dimensions, “Gambling-Friendliness” and “Gambling Problem & Treatment.”

We evaluated those dimensions using 19 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest dependency on gambling.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its total score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Gambling-Friendliness – Total Points: 70

• Commercial & Tribal Casinos per Capita: Triple Weight (~13.13 Points)Note: “Per capita” considers adults aged 18 and older. “Commercial casinos” are defined as land-based, riverboat and racetrack casinos.
• Gaming Machines per 1,000 Residents: Double Weight (~8.75 Points)Note: “Per 1,000 residents” considers adults aged 18 and older.
• iGaming Revenues per Capita: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)Note: “Per capita” considers adults aged 18 and older.
• Limited-Stakes Gaming Revenues per Capita: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)Note: “Per capita” considers adults aged 18 and older.
• Commercial Casinos Revenues per Capita: Double Weight (~8.75 Points)Note: “Per 1,000 residents” considers adults aged 18 and older.
• Lottery Sales per Capita: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)Note: “Per capita” considers adults aged 18 and older.
• Presence of Retail/Convenience Gaming: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)Note: This metrics measures the presence of slot machines in retail or convenience locations
• Presence of Illegal Gambling Operations: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)
• Legality of Daily Fantasy Sports: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)
• Legality of Sports Gambling: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)
• Legality of Horse-Race Gambling: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)
• Google Search Interest Index for “Gambling”: Full Weight (~4.38 Points)Note: This metric measures Google search interest for the terms “Lottery”, “Casino”, “Slots”, “Blackjack”, “Sport Betting” and “Horse Racing Betting”.

Gambling Problem & Treatment – Total Points: 30

• Share of Adults Aged 18 & Older with Gambling Disorders: Double Weight (~7.50 Points)
• Number of Gambling Counselors per Capita: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)Note: “Per 1,000 residents” considers adults aged 18 and older.
• “Gamblers Anonymous” Meetings per Capita: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)Note: “Per capita” considers adults aged 18 and older.
• NCPG Affiliation: Half Weight (~1.88 Points)Note: “NCPG” is an acronym for National Council on Problem Gambling.
• Employee Training on Disordered- & Problem-Gambling Statuses & Regulations: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
• Presence of Gambling-Addiction Treatment Programs: Half Weight (~1.88 Points)
• Gambling-Related Arrests per Capita: Double Weight (~7.50 Points)Note: “Per capita” considers adults aged 18 and older.

Videos for News Use:

• YouTube (for web embedding National)
• YouTube (for web embedding Nevada)
• Raw files (for editing into clips)

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Gaming Association, RubinBrown, National Council on Problem Gambling, North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Pew Charitable Trusts, ESPN, Gamblers Anonymous, The Plaid Horse and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Dr. Jay S. Albanese.

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