US gambling addiction: Nevada, Montana top problem gambling rates

Nevada, Montana lead US states in gambling addiction rates and casino access

WalletHub has taken a look at the most gambling addicted states in the United States, drawing data from across different verticals and pinpointing various harm benchmarks linked to the activity.

WalletHub dives into gambling - the good and the bad - per state in the US

With the industry generating as much as $78.7bn in revenue in 2025, the new study now takes a closer look at how it has affected individuals, tracking 20 key metrics, such as illegal gambling activity, lottery spending per person, and adults who are struggling to control their habits.

New York has been ranked 13th in the survey and 43rd in terms of the percentage of adults with some form of a gambling disorder. The state was far behind Nevada, however, which ranked first across multiple core metrics.

Among those, Nevada ranked first for arrests per capita linked to cases of illegal gambling. The state also had the most gaming machines per capita and the most casinos in the country.

Furthermore, Nevada also had the highest number of Gamblers Anonymous meetings per capita, and the highest number of adults who reported gambling disorders - about 2.7% of the adult population, the WalletHub survey indicated.

Another interesting finding by the survey was the fact that South Dakota also had a high number of Gamblers Anonymous meetings per capita, and the second-highest concentration of gambling machines relative to the state's population.

More gaming machines coincide with a higher rate of gambling addiction, not necessarily correlated

South Dakota has also embraced other forms of gambling, including the lottery, daily fantasy sports, horse-race wagering, and more. Third came Montana, a state that reported a surprisingly high percentage of adult residents who experience gambling-related issues and problems - around 2.5% of the state's adults struggle to control their addiction.

The study also noted that Montana has a large number of gaming machines and has legalized sports and horse race betting.

To arrive at these results, WalletHub divided states into two main categories: "Gambling-Friendliness" and "Gambling Problem & Treatment."

70% of the score was based on "Gambling-Friendliness", with the remaining 30% relied upon the other key category, such as Gamblers Anonymous meetings, gambling-related arrests per capita, the availability of gambling counselors, self-exclusion programs, treatment spending, and more.