Surprise! Nevada is the most gambling-addicted state.
Americans lose roughly $100 billion while gambling each year and a good chunk of that is lost in Nevada. WalletHub recently compared 50 states using 15 key metrics to determine which state has the biggest gambling problem.
Nevada ranked No. 1 for number of casinos per capita, number of gaming machines per capita and legality of sports gambling.
It also ranked highly for the number of adults with gambling disorders (No. 6). In addition, Nevada ranked No. 15 for number of gambling-related arrests per capita.
The top spots in several key metrics guaranteed Las Vegas the No. 1 spot on the list, which comes as a surprise to almost no one.
Although the state of Nevada has certainly benefited from gambling over the last 85 years, there is no denying that gambling addiction is a very real problem.
Slightly more than 2 percent of all U.S. adults have a gambling problem of some sort. Compulsive gambling costs an estimated $6 billion per year, according to a study by the National Council on Problem Gambling. According to one estimate, men who have a gambling problem accumulate an average debt between $55,000 and $90,000. The average for a female is much lower though. It is only $15,000.
The Nevada Council on Problem Gambling estimates that 6 percent of all Nevadans are addicted to gambling.
Top 5 gambling-addicted states:
1. Nevada
2. South Dakota
3. Mississippi
4. Montana
5. Oklahoma
Las Vegas made more than $6 billion in gambling revenue in 2015, according to the accounting and consulting firm RubinBrown.
Gambling revenue in top 5 cities:
1. Las Vegas Strip: $6.35 billion
2. Atlantic City: $2.41 billion
3. Chicago: $1.97 billion
4. New York City: $1.39 billion
5. Detroit: $1.38 billion
