Study: Who Are America’s Biggest Gamblers?

Gambling in the US is big business. Despite gambling laws constantly changing, with every state having its own rules and regulations, Americans have a huge interest in betting – and that’s not going away.

But who are the biggest gamblers in the US by state?

The team at Casino Professor analysed the latest search data to find out which American states have the most interest in gambling online. To do this, we used Google Keyword Planner to consider the interest in over 150 different keywords and phrases related to online betting and gambling in each of the 50 states over the last 12 months.

The US states that gamble the most

A table showing the US states that like to gamble the most. The rankings are based on Google searches related to betting per 1000 people.

State	Rank	Number of searches	Searches per Capita
Nevada	1	425,520	133
Massachusetts	2	926,880	132
Michigan	3	1,248,960	124
New Jersey	4	1,005,120	108
Pennsylvania	5	1,267,920	98
Mississippi	6	287,520	98
South Carolina	7	523,080	97
Kansas	8	251,160	85
New York	9	1,664,040	85
Ohio	10	950,520	81
Delaware	11	83,160	81
Maryland	12	486,120	79
Colorado	13	457,920	78
Arizona	14	577,560	78
Virginia	15	669,480	77
Georgia	16	840,360	76
Illinois	17	950,640	76
Rhode Island	18	82,320	75
North Carolina	19	809,880	75
Kentucky	20	333,120	74
New Hampshire	21	101,760	73
West Virginia	22	128,280	72
Connecticut	23	250,800	69
Hawaii	24	97,800	68
Louisiana	25	311,640	68
Maine	26	93,000	67
Alabama	27	330,120	65
Vermont	28	41,280	64
Tennessee	29	447,600	63
Florida	30	1,414,200	63
North Dakota	31	48,840	62
Iowa	32	198,600	62
Wyoming	33	34,920	60
California	34	2,295,120	59
Minnesota	35	328,920	57
Wisconsin	36	336,960	57
Indiana	37	389,400	57
Nebraska	38	108,000	55
South Dakota	39	48,120	52
Missouri	40	314,400	51
Washington	41	371,760	48
Texas	42	1,407,480	46
New Mexico	43	91,440	43
Alaska	44	28,920	39
Montana	45	43,440	38
Oregon	46	158,880	38
Utah	47	123,960	36
Arkansas	48	94,560	31
Oklahoma	49	124,920	31
Idaho	50	58,200	30

Top 10 states with the most interest in gambling (per 1000 residents):

1. Nevada
2. Massachusetts
3. Michigan
4. New Jersey
5. Pennsylvania
6. Mississippi
7. South Carolina
8. Kansas
9. New York
10. Ohio

States with the least interest in gambling (per 1000 residents):

1. Idaho
2. Oklahoma
3. Arkansas
4. Utah
5. Oregon
6. Montana
7. Alaska
8. New Mexico
9. Texas
10. Washington

Top 10 states with the highest overall number of gambling searches:

In our comprehensive analysis of online gambling interests across the United States, the data collected reveals a significant variance in search volumes among different states, indicating a diverse level of engagement and interest in gambling activities.

California leads the chart with a remarkable search volume of 2,295,120, showcasing the state’s heightened interest in gambling, followed by New York and Florida, with search volumes of 1,664,040 and 1,414,200, respectively.

Texas closely trails with a search volume of 1,407,480. Other states showing considerable interest include Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio, and Massachusetts, with their search volumes ranging from 1,267,920 down to 926,880.

This dataset not only underscores the geographical disparities in gambling interest within the United States but also reflects the substantial engagement levels in these top 10 states, potentially offering insights for market analysis and regulatory considerations related to gambling activities.

Nevada leads the way, with recent law changes having a big impact

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Nevada had the most interest in gambling out of all the American states. Home to the gambling capital of the world in Las Vegas, there were 133 searches per capita here, demonstrating how gambling is ingrained in the culture of the region.

There was also a strong interest in gambling from areas that have benefitted from recent law changes. For example, Massachusetts was just behind Nevada with 132 searches per capita after the legalisation of online sports betting in 2023. Michigan completed the top 3 with 124 searches per capita, following online casino and online sports betting sites entering the state in 2021.

Online gambling restrictions make their mark

States where online gambling is prohibited have the least interest in betting. For example, Idaho had just 30 searches per capita which was the lowest of all the 50 states. Oklahoma and Arkansas were not far in front with 31 searches per capita for both.

These results are not surprising considering residents are not being exposed to gambling as much. In all likelihood, interest levels would increase if online betting was legalised – but that seems some way off.

High interest in most populous states

The US states with the highest populations had the most gambling-related searches overall. However, what’s interesting is that this is despite online gambling not being legal, or at least partially legal, in many of them.

For example, there were over 2,295,120 searches from California for online gambling in the last 12 months. This data spans the 150 different keywords we looked at, with the true volume likely to be higher. All of this occurred despite online gambling currently being outlawed in California.

NOTE: Always check your state’s current rules before deciding if you want to play yourself. Partaking in online gambling where this is illegal could see you charged with a misdemeanor.

Methodology

We used Google Keyword Planner to analyse 150 different keywords related to gambling. This includes but is not limited to:

• “NFL Odds”
• “Horse betting”
• “Superbowl odds”
• “best betting sites”
• “betting sign up offers”
• “gamble online”

The total search volume for the last 12 months was then used to create a ranking per capita (1000 residents) to find which states were most and least interested in Gambling. Census.gov population data was used to create the ranking.

Data correct as of 25/03/2024.