A newly released American Gaming Association (AGA) research report has shown that over the course of the past year, a record-breaking number of Americans participated with some form of regulated gaming.
Kantar, on behalf of the AGA, has taken results from a pool of over 2,000 participants aged 21 and over on their perceptions of the gambling industry.
Indeed, these intriguing results not only highlight a rising tide of gambling engagement in the US market, but also shifting perceptions of the practice itself, as according to the AGA's research, nine out of 10 Americans now find gambling acceptable for both themselves and others to engage with. Moreover, 62% of US citizens now also reportedly find gambling personally acceptable - with many citing positive economic impacts from the industry.
Casino: A youthful exuberance
A novelty once only associated with the grandeur of Las Vegas, casino gambling in the US has exploded into life in recent decades across the nation. What has seemingly come part and parcel with the lifeblood of the land-based industry is a growing accessibility and apparent acceptance of casinos, with 89% of visitors in the US over the past 12 months considering them good entertainment - and a further 90% stating they are good value for money compared to alternative entertainment options.
Perhaps even more intriguingly, the mean average age of casino attendees is decreasing year-over-year - with the average age of the American casino visitor in 2025 resting at 48.4. As such, the statistics show that as the average age of players is going down, visitation statistics are going up.
Sports betting: Advertising spurs support?
The 2018 overturning of PASPA has sent the US market into an irrefutable sports wagering frenzy. It was a legislative update that changed the course of the industry forever; a point perhaps never more poignant than now with the astronomical recent rise of prediction markets.
Interestingly, the acceptance of sports betting found in this survey also seems to transcend political boundaries with Democrats displaying slightly higher support percentile than Republicans and Independents. However, all three are almost identical.
The saliant fact of the regulated US sports betting space is that it was always bound to be the biggest. Nevertheless, with 74% of citizens now stating that they support legal sports betting in their state - according to the AGA - 2018 may well have also been the perfect timing. Any earlier, and players might not have felt protected, a concept which is increasingly prominent and has been a positive catalyst that is (evidently) allowing the industry to thrive.
This, paired with the recent explosion in AI technologies that are now enabling players to feel more 'involved' in sport via the medium of betting than ever before, has brewed the perfect storm for acceptance and engagement.
Economic and responsible: The perfect cocktail?
Cited as perhaps the most prominent part of the survey, the AGA's data has revealed that approximately 77% of respondents think that gambling has an overall positive influence on the American economy. Further, 85% say casinos bring entertainment and dining options in less densely populated regions, with 86% agreeing that casinos have a positive influence on tourism rates to similar areas.
Elsewhere, 82% of Americans also agree that the jobs created by casinos are both well paid and spark consistent investment into the US economy. In addition to the perceived economic benefits of the industry, 64% of respondents say the industry is committed to responsible practices, up from 40% in 2018, with 72% of Americans stating they had come across RG messages in the past year, up from 56% in 2022.
Indeed, it is incredibly difficult to measure the effectiveness of responsible messaging - however perception seems to provide a good indicator as to the direction of travel. Herein lies the key lesson of the survey; when players feel protected, they allow the industry to thrive. As the saying goes, "take care of the people, and the people will take care of the rest."
Earlier this year, an additional AGA study found that Americans still wager $673.6bn annually with illegal operators
