Most Gambling-Addicted States (2026)

Gambling exists in every state, even Hawaii and Utah, where gambling is prohibited by law. But not all gamblers are the same. “Recreational” or “social” gamblers, for instance, buy the occasional lottery ticket, take the rare casino trip or bet small stakes in fantasy sports, but they set limits on how much they gamble and don’t cause financial harm to themselves.

When gambling gets out of control, though, it becomes a real medical condition. Gambling disorder, as it’s known, affects about 1-3% of all U.S. adults. That addiction can lead to serious economic consequences. While the gambling industry made a record $78.7 billion in revenue last year, U.S. consumers experience over $100 billion per year in total gambling losses annually.

WalletHub compared the 50 states to determine where excessive gambling is most prevalent. Our data set of 20 key metrics ranges from the presence of illegal gambling operations to lottery sales per capita to the share of adults with gambling disorders.

Top 5 Most Gambling-Addicted States

1. Nevada
2. South Dakota
3. Montana
4. Mississippi
5. Louisiana

Main Findings

Most Gambling-Addicted States

Note: *No. 1 = Most Addicted

With the exception of “Total Score,” the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of each state, where a rank of 1 represents the worst conditions for that category.

In-Depth Look at the Most Gambling-Addicted States

Nevada

Nevada is the most gambling-addicted state, and that comes as no surprise considering it’s home to Las Vegas, the gambling capital of America. Around 2.7% of adults in Nevada have gambling disorders, one of the highest rates in the country, and the state ranks number one when it comes to Gamblers Anonymous meetings per capita. Nevada also has the most arrests per capita for illegal gambling.

Nevada ranks first when it comes to both casinos per capita and gaming machines per capita, giving residents plenty of opportunities to get hooked on this dangerous addiction. The state also has the highest overall gambling revenues in the country.

Nevada’s laws about gambling are also very lax. It allows retail and convenience stores to have electronic gambling machines for customers to play, and it has legalized both sports betting and gambling on horse races.

South Dakota

South Dakota ranks as the second-most gambling-addicted state, with some of the most casinos and gaming machines per capita. It also has a high prevalence of gambling through lottery tickets, with the 11th highest lottery sales per resident age 18+.

South Dakota has legalized betting on fantasy sports, regular sports and horse races, and it allows gambling machines to be put in stores. With so many different legal ways to gamble, it makes sense that many residents have a problem. The grip that gambling has on the Mount Rushmore State is evident in the fact that it has a high number of Gamblers Anonymous meetings per capita.

Montana

Montana ranks third when it comes to gambling addictions, as around 2.5% of the state’s residents have a gambling disorder, one of the highest percentages in the country. It may be difficult for people to overcome their addiction, too, considering the fact that Montana does not have gambling counselors and doesn’t require businesses to train their employees on disordered and problem gambling.

Montana has a very large number of gaming machines and casinos per capita, and it allows residents to bet on sports and horse races. People in The Treasure State can use electronic gambling machines in retail and convenience stores, as well.

The methodology can be found on the full version of the article on WalletHub.