Interesting Statistics of US Gamblers in 2016

Almost every state in the US has laws on gambling, but most of the regulations are violated everyday by the participants in this industry. The laws safeguard against catastrophic financial losses on gamblers who find it difficult to quit gambling. For example, Hawaii and Utah have prohibited gambling, but virtually, gambling exists with most posing as recreational or social gamblers, betting in real money online casinos or fantasy sports.

Internet betting, a new entrant into the industry accounts for close to 30% of all of the betting in the US. However, up to 40% of the gross wins made in internet betting is done by players in offshore jurisdictions. Legislations are now being designed in order to have operators take up local operating licenses, which would effectively stop this practice.

In addition, there are renowned professional gamblers, making a living in this industry by beating the odds. According to Mayo Clinic, gambling addiction has thrown slightly above 2% of US adults into gambling disorder. The disorder is basically a disease of the brain, changing the way it functions compared to non-gamblers. People who gamble professionally make it seem like the addiction is not real to people who are suffering.

Gambling and the US Economy

In a recent study conducted by Oxford Economics, US gambling industry accounts for USD 240 billion nearly the equivalent of New York and Texas combined yearly budgets. When this figure is broken down, more than USD 81 billion comes from building and setting up of casinos, USD 67 billion accounting for casino revenues, USD 6 billion coming from American gaming equipment makers, USD 14 billion in consumer spending; retail stores, hotel and restaurant. USD 60 billion is payment to suppliers and USD 78 billion injected by employee spending.

In addition to this, the industry provides 1.7 million people with jobs, more than the double what Washington provides. This people earn more than USD 74 billion in the long run. Over 734 Americans are directly employed in casinos and online betting firms, 383,000 jobs for suppliers of gaming equipment while the gaming employee’s spending sustains over 595,000 jobs.

Moreover, the industry also surrenders close to USD 38 billion as tax revenues to the governments; USD 11 billion to local, USD 10 billion to state and USD 17 billion to federal, which is more than half a million teachers’ salaries and wages. The high taxes from this industry support a wide range of government services, echoes Adam Sacks, Oxford Economics’ director.

5 Most Gambling Addicted States

Despite a quarter of the American population are not in favor of gambling, different states in the US have different rankings when it comes to addiction. For example, the state of Nevada has the largest number of gamblers that also doubles up as the state with the largest number of people diagnosed with compulsive gambling syndrome.

The average annual income for a casino gamblers online and offline in this state is USD 46,300. Following Nevada, is South Dakota, a state boasting of the high gambling friendliness and high number of visitors to casinos and betting sites. Third is Mississippi, followed closely by Montana and closing this list is Oklahoma with all of them having the most gaming machines per capita. Notably, Mississippi happens to have the highest gambling related arrests per capita.

2016 Online Gambling Revelations

According to a study conducted by the US National Library of Medicine, addiction to betting or gambling presents participants with a loss of control factor in the long run. Here is the breakdown:

Gambling Trends- In the recent years, more prevalent online gambling trends have shown that the likelihood of developing a gambling addiction increases with availability. It is 23 fold for individuals affected with alcohol and drug disorders. Additionally, over 80% of American adults have at least engaged in gambling activities per year. Over 750,000 youths (15-21) years are struggling with gambling addiction.

Relationship between Online Gambling and Crime- There is a direct correlation between this two, with a high population of online casino operations likely to participate in criminal activities. Although money laundering used to be a problem associated with the online gambling industry, recent regulations in the US has made that a thing of the past. Some have estimated that at least 50% of compulsive gamblers engage in criminal activity at some point, mostly robbery with violence and cybercrimes, to support their addiction, but there is no direct proof of this.

College Gambling- In the US, 20-30 years happens to be the age group of people beginning the pursuit of a higher education, and it also happens to be the biggest online poker market segment in the world. Over 75% of college students confessed of gambling over the Internet on a yearly basis. Additionally, those pursuing higher education who play at real money casinos are most likely going to develop gambling addiction and struggle with it in their lifetime.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder- Gambling brings about high levels of anxiety and stress when the players lose money. This is because, gambling tends to interfere with the brain chemical functions, releasing happy chemicals when winning, and the opposite when losing. Gamblers account for close to a quarter of PTSD patients in the US, with those seeking treatment for gambling addiction showing symptoms of PTSD.