Americans are gambling more and more, just as they are doing all across the European Union. A confluence of elements and trends has combined to create an economic force that is sweeping the globe. While gambling has long been a mainstay of American culture, it has enjoyed a surge, creating peak revenues in 2021 and promising incredible returns for 2022.
The American Gambling Association (AGA) recently confirmed that over $44 billion was collected by the United States’ 987 commercial casinos toward the end of 2021. It’s a record high, beating the previous record of $43.65 billion set in 2019.
Experts expect national commercial gaming revenue at roughly $50 billion. This is considered remarkable in light of the hit the industry took from the Covid epidemic.
And casino gambling remains a cornerstone of the gaming industry, with over $34 billion in revenue from slot machines and table games combined. Twenty-seven billion of that comes from slots alone.
Sports betting performed admirably as well, generating $3.16 billion through October of 2021, up an incredible 359% from the same period circa 2019. This amazing growth continues even though only 13 states had live, legal betting in 2019. In 2021, 30 states (plus Washington D.C.) offer legal and lawful live sports betting.
Online gambling is also red-hot in the U.S., legal in 48 states with many online casinos as seen here on https://www.bestusacasinosites.com/. New Jersey leads the other states in online gambling revenue, though online gambling is widely popular in other states where it’s legal.
Most online gaming sites accept various types of payment, including Paypal, and offer bonuses and other incentives. The industry has enjoyed a boom in popularity thanks to flexibility, new security measures, and wider varieties of gaming options. As smartphones and other mobile devices become more central to our lives, online gaming becomes more central to the gaming experience.
Factors contributing to the boon in gaming include the long shutdown during 2020/21, which stimulated online betting, as well as stimulus payments and unemployment insurance, giving Americans extra time and money. Americans also suffer from a widespread case of what is known as Covid fatigue. It seems to have created a hunger for stimulation, for fun, for some kind of excitement and release. Gaming is designed to provide just such stimulation, with the benefit of possible big wins.
Whatever the reason, Americans gambled more in 2021 than ever before. Nobody has any reason to think it’s going to stop with the end of this year. If the trend continues, the industry is set to skyrocket like no other in 2022.
The industry has enjoyed a record third quarter in 2012, the second banner quarter in a row. Ten of the 25 states which have commercial casinos broke quarterly revenue records for the same quarter, notably New Jersey, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania.
In Las Vegas, gaming revenue broke the $2 billion mark, an all-time high. The return of tourism brought over nine million people to the entertainment capital of the world, a ten percent increase over the previous quarter. It was also the highest number of tourists since the March 2020 Covid outbreak.
2021 was undoubtedly a banner year for gambling in the United States, breaking all previous records and setting high expectations for 2022. With the onset of online gambling, a new influx of income, and a new hunger for good old-fashioned thrills, Americans are trying their hands at games of chance like never before. And all signs point to an even sharper increase in the years to come.
