Michigan Residents Are Listed Among the Top 10 Biggest Gamblers in America 

While gambling is becoming more popular across the U.S., it is more prevalent in some states than in others. Legal U.S. Poker Sites examined various factors to rank gambling states across the U.S. The organization looked at total gross casino revenue, average income of residents spent on gambling, and frequency of casino and gambling search terms for the local area. It found that Michigan comes ninth in the list of states that gamble the most in the U.S.

Michigan is ninth on the list

Michigan’s 26 casinos saw revenue of nearly $452 per capita and an average income spend of nearly 78%. One of the reasons why it didn’t place as high as other states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois was the low search volume around the topic. Only 49,686 searches took place in the last year. Search terms around gambling in Pennsylvania sit at 77,060 searches in 2023, the highest on the list. There are currently 15 MI online casinos where you can play casino games for real money. In 2024, the state brought in more than $3.15 billion from retail and online casino gambling.

Nevada and Pennsylvania at first and second place

It isn’t surprising that Nevada was at the top of the list of 10 states. It brought in revenue of $6,189 per person for its 229 casinos. As Pennsylvania only legalized gambling in 2004, coming in second place is impressive. Gambling seems to have cemented itself as part of Pennsylvanian culture. Online casinos are legal in Pennsylvania, and the new gamblers attracted by being able to gamble online are pushing up revenue. The state only has 17 casinos and still saw revenue per capita of $567.54.

Growth in iGaming in Michigan

The iGaming industry in Michigan grew 22.9% from 2022 to $6.17 billion in 2023. It has one of the largest online gambling markets. According to a study by the American Gambling Association (AGA), Michigan leads the nation in money wagered on poker, blackjack, and other online casino games. Sports betting in Michigan is very popular too, and it brought in over $4.63 billion in 2023 in retail and online sports betting.

Interestingly, three billionaires in Michigan made the Forbes 2024 list of the world’s wealthiest men and women. As the online gambling industry continues to grow, some of the state’s wealthiest residents are helping to shape the business landscape in Michigan.