Even though many forms of gambling are already legal, American citizens prefer the lottery over any other kind. An average American spends $288.06 annually on lottery tickets, so it should come as no surprise that the lottery is highly popular in some states.
We’ve ranked the top 10 US states from high to low for you to get a sense of how much Americans love the lottery.
News Highlights
- Gambling and online gambling in the USA are ever-increasing.
- Americans prefer a lottery over other types of gambling.
- The top 10 USA states stats show the average American spends $288.06 per year on lottery.
Gambling in the USA
Different types of gambling have been legalized in the US over the past years. In 2018, the US Supreme Court decided to legalize sports betting in most US states.
This was a record-breaking year for gambling in terms of revenue. According to the American Gaming Association, betting revenue generated $41.7 billion, which is the highest-ever total for the country.
Gambling and Lottery Stats
More than half of Americans have access to gambling now, both land-based and online, so the acceptance level within the culture has been steadily increasing, too.
A total of 69% of US citizens have reported that gambling has become more morally acceptable, which is the highest level of acceptance for the activity in the last 16 years.
Despite access to all sorts of gambling forms, Americans are still more comfortable playing the lottery. The average American spends $288.06 per year on lottery tickets.
Lottery Sales in the Top 10 US States
Americans love playing the lottery, that much is clear. Have you ever wondered in which states players enjoy it the most?
The top 10 states’ results came out after a study looked at data from the FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) National Capability survey, compared against the prize data and lottery ticket sales from the US Census Bureau.
The 22 top states were analyzed, but Utah, Nevada, Mississippi, Hawaii, Alaska, and Alabama were excluded from the study, considering they do not have a lottery system.
Amount Spent on Lottery per Person per Year
Below is the list of the Top 10 US states where the citizens are playing lottery the most, and the amount spent per person.
Rhode Island
$626.11
Massachusetts
$933.33
Delaware
$616.74
| Rank | State | Amount Spent per Person |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | New York | $538.24 |
| 5 | Georgia | $515.17 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $434.98 |
| 7 | West Virginia | $419.15 |
| 8 | Maryland | $413.81 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $405.91 |
| 10 | South Carolina | $393.90 |
Massachusetts
Being at the top of the list, Massachusetts is the state where the residents play the lottery the most.
With ticket sales of close to $5.09 billion in 2017, Massachusetts residents are ruling the list.
South Carolina
South Carolina players, on the other hand, spend $393.90 on average annually.
All lottery profits in the state go for public education, nearly $4.25 billion for student scholarships.
Lottery & Education Programs
People across many states in the country enjoy pressing their luck on the lottery. But not only traditional lottery is on the rise. The popularity of this form of gambling has lead many online casinos to offer real money lottery as part of their gaming offer.
In most states on the list, the lottery money goes straight to education programs and student scholarships. These states make sure the funds go to public education and other educational state programs, in addition to economic development, natural resources, state parks, and job creation.
Aside from having fun and trying their luck, Americans are investing in the future of their children by purchasing lottery tickets.
