Wanna Bet That Illinois is One of the Most Gambling-Addicted States in America?
There is anthropologic evidence that suggests people have been gambling since as far back as 3000 BCE, but I imagine it's been even longer than that. Gambling seems more popular these days than ever before thanks to casinos, online poker, and sports betting, which has exploded in the last few years.
Many adults (I'm guessing the majority) would consider themselves "recreational" or "social" gamblers - nothing more than a fun way to spend time with friends and maybe make a little extra money. For others, it can become a problem - a real medical condition called Gambling Addiction, which affects nearly a third of American adults. People struggle with gambling in every part of the country, but some states have a bigger problem than others.
Since the Kentucky Derby - a huge source of gambling revenue - is happening soon, WalletHub wanted to determine the states where excessive gambling is most prevalent. In order to do this, they gathered data in the following two main categories and several secondary categories:
- Gambling Friendliness: The number of casinos and access to gambling, lottery sales, illegal gambling operations, sports gambling, horse gambling, and more
- Gambling Problem & Treatment: The number of adults with gambling problems, the number of gambling counselors, number "Gamblers Anonymous" meetings, number of gambling-related arrests, and more
The Results Aren't Great for Illinois
When it comes to the Tri-State, Illinois ranked the highest, meaning the Land of Lincoln is more gambling-addicted than Indiana and Kentucky. The Hoosier State ranked 31st (not too shabby), and the Bluegrass State ranked 40th (even better). Illinois, on the other hand, ranked 14th overall - that means only 13 other states are considered more gambling-addicted.
The Rest of the Country
It should come as no surprise, and with no further explanation needed, that Nevada is at the top of the list. It is the most gambling-addicted state in America. Here's the rest of the top five: (2) South Dakota, (3) Montana, (4) Louisiana, and (5) Mississippi. You can scroll over the map below to see how the rest of the states ranked, and you can see the full report and all of the data here.