- According to a recent study, Nevada ranked as the most gambling addicted state in the United States.
- South Dakota, Montana, Mississippi, and Louisiana are all in the top five.
- Utah and Hawaii both rank in the bottom five in gambling addiction and are the only two states with a total ban on all gambling.
LAS VEGAS – As gambling becomes increasingly more socially and legally acceptable across the country, addiction has become a real issue.
A recent study by WalletHub analyzed which states have the highest rates of gambling addiction, and unsurprisingly, Nevada took the top spot. South Dakota, Montana, Mississippi, and Louisiana round out the top five.
The study ranked each state by their gambling-friendliness rank and their gambling problem & treatment rank. Nevada was the only state to rank in the top five in both categories with over 300 casinos across the state.
Nevada comes in with a composite score of 71.25 in the ranking of most gambling addicted states. For reference, South Dakota (65.09) is the only other state with a score above 60, while just six other states scored above a 50.
Legal blackjack games are one of the most prominent fixtures of gaming in Las Vegas, as it is the most popular table game in the city. Legal blackjack in Nevada has been around since the early 1900s as the state helped to pioneer the gambling industry.
Unsurprisingly, States With Less Gambling Are Less Addicted
The five states that scored the lowest for gambling addiction were Utah, Vermont, Alaska, Kansas, and Hawaii, each of which ranked 44th or lower in gambling friendliness rank.
Between those five states, there are just ten commercial or tribal (Class III) casinos, all of which are located in Kansas. Alaska has two Class II casinos, which are mostly bingo-based machines, while Utah, Hawaii, and Vermont all have no official casinos.