Poll: Americans View Casino Industry Favorably

The results of a recent national poll conducted on behalf of the American Gaming Association (AGA) show that the majority of American citizens view land-based casinos just as they view any other business in their communities. In fact, 87% of Americans think that gambling is an acceptable activity, and more than 70% believe that casinos help generate jobs and bolster local economies.

The survey polled American citizens on their thoughts about land-based casinos and did not address online casinos.

National Revenue

The sentiments of the nation's majority and the reality of state gambling revenues are completely in sync. The casino industry is, in fact, a multi-billion dollar industry that brings individual states hefty income and creates hundreds of thousands of jobs. Here are the facts:

Annual National Revenue of Casino Industry: $37.34 billion

Tax Revenue (which largely goes to support American college students): $8.60 billion

Annual National wages: $13.2 billion

Number of employees: 336,000

State-by-State Revenue

Nevada, thanks to Las Vegas, is the leading state, hosting 265 casinos and generating an annual income of over $10 billion. But this is not just good news for casino owners – Nevada's casino industry pays out over $769 billion in annual wages, employes over 170,000 workers and generates tax revenues of $868 million.

New Jersey, though much smaller, is another front-runner with 12 casinos, thanks to Atlantic City. The state generates over $3 billion annually, employs almost 35,000 workers and pays out wages of almost a billion dollars a year.

Other states that bring in over a billion dollars in casino revenue include Iowa ($1.46 billion), Missouri ($1.76 billion), Louisiana ($2.40 billion), Illionois ($1.64 billion), Mississippi ($2,25 billion), Michigan ($1.42 billion), Indiana ($2.614= billion), New York ($1.8 billion) and Pennsylvania ($1.48 billion).

The Typical Casino Visitor

The poll was conducted by reputed pollsters Mark Mellman and Glen Bolger. Commenting on the results, Bolger stated that the majority of casino customers “look like middle America.”” In fact, according to the poll, the typical casino visitor: owns a home (62%), describes himself as middle-class (70%), attends religious services once a week (1/3), is between ages 21-59, is a college graduate (½), thinks of casino gambling just as they would any other form of entertainment, such as shopping, going to a sporting event or the movies (63%).

With many states bringing in huge income from casinos, and the majority of Americans showing favorable attitudes towards casinos, the AGA hopes to be able to change the way casinos are taxed throughout the United States. The “tax and torture model” on the casino industry “is no longer sustainable,” AGA President Geoff Freeman said.s on a federal level.