Nevada is the Most Gambling-Addicted State, but South Dakota and Montana are Next?
It’s no shock: Nevada has once more been acknowledged as the state with the highest gambling addiction. This is based on the 2025 research by WalletHub, an online personal finance platform that guides consumers with regular studies.
WalletHub's study on the most gambling-addicted states has ranked Nevada in first place annually since the report was first released in 2016. WalletHub ha nombrado a Las Vegas como la Ciudad Más Pecaminosa de manera regular.
These differences aren't significant, since Nevada and Sin City are the locations where gamblers lose more funds than anywhere else in the nation. What is astonishing is the states that rank after Nevada in the 2025 Most Gambling-Addicted States report.
South Dakota ranks second. Deadwood, the renowned town from the Black Hills Gold Rush, features a variety of gaming establishments on Main Street. South Dakota hosts tribal casinos, a lottery, parimutuel betting, and retail sports wagering.
WalletHub reports that it evaluated all 50 states based on 20 significant metrics, which include the number of casinos and gaming machines per capita as well as the number of adults experiencing gambling disorders, to create its ranking.
State Shockers Struggling with Gambling Addiction
WalletHub researchers indicated that South Dakota holds the second spot as the state with the most gambling addiction, attributable to its relatively high casino count considering its population of fewer than one million people. South Dakota ranks 10th in lottery sales per resident aged 18 and above.
"South Dakota has legalized betting on fantasy sports, regular sports, and horse races, and it allows gambling machines to be put in stores. With so many different legal ways to gamble, it makes sense that many residents have a problem. The grip that gambling has on the Mount Rushmore State is evident in the fact that it has a high number of Gamblers Anonymous meetings per capita,” the report said.
Regarding Montana, the WalletHub investigation indicated that the state is ranked third in gambling addiction, with 2.5% of its residents experiencing a gambling disorder.
"Montana has a very large number of gaming machines and casinos per capita, and it allows residents to bet on sports and horse races. People in The Treasure State can use electronic gambling machines in retail and convenience stores, as well,” the study relayed.
Completing the top five is not unexpected with Pennsylvania and Mississippi. Last year, Pennsylvania's gaming revenue was surpassed only by Nevada and New Jersey. Mississippi is renowned for its riverboats and the Gulf Coast, where numerous casinos dot the shoreline.
Louisiana, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Oregon, and New Jersey complete the top 10 states with the highest gambling addiction rates.
Nevada No Shock
No state offers greater access to legal gaming than Nevada. This has resulted in it having the highest occurrence of issue gambling. Nevada gamblers lost over $15.6 billion last year.
“Nevada is the most gambling-addicted state, and that comes as no surprise considering it’s home to Las Vegas, the gambling capital of America,” the report wrote. “Nevada also ranks first when it comes to both casinos per capita and gaming machines per capita, giving residents plenty of opportunities to get hooked on this dangerous addiction.”
WalletHub advises its audience to view gambling solely as entertainment rather than a means to generate income.
“While some people may be able to enjoy casual gambling from time to time, others need to avoid temptation altogether. People with a gambling addiction may find it helpful to live in states where places to gamble are less prevalent and laws against betting are stricter,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.
