Quick Answer
How many people gamble in 2025?
Statistics show that 26% of the world’s population has gambled, which equates to over 2 billion people.
Slot machines are flashy with catchy audio sounds and music, online apps, and persistent ads. It’s hard to resist the glamour and glitz of the games, much less the desire to win money.
If slots aren’t your thing, you also have card games and Blackjack to play. Regardless of your casino gaming preference, the draw to it is the same.
The casino industry is viewed differently across the globe, but the overall audience demographics are essentially the same.
It’s a given that your age and your location will be key in deciding to gamble or not to gamble.
Although, we are all regularly exposed to and susceptible to the concept of gambling and its allure.
After reading these gambling industry statistics for 2025, you will know how many people gamble and you can make more informed decisions about gambling.
Key Gambling Statistics 2025
- 85% of Americans have gambled at least once in their lives; 60% in the past year.
- 60% of people have gambled in the last year.
- 26% of the world’s population has gambled (over 2 billion people).
- Nevada features 5,510 casino games, making it one of the major gambling markets in the US.
- Macau has the top gambling revenue based on its visitors at 1,354.00 US dollars per person.
- 6% of US college students are classified as problem gamblers.
- 41% of people believe that setting stake limits on casino gambling machines is an essential policy issue.
Detailed Gambling Statistics in 2025
It’s a challenge to understand the anomalies of gambling addiction, as it is for anything that is addictive.
The attraction to gambling has remained the same for centuries. That said, we will first discuss some basic gambling statistics.
1. The Percentage of People Who Admitted to Gambling Over the Past Month Is 46%.
18% of those surveyed chose online gambling. 1.5% said they played on gambling machines.
2. 30% of People Polled Said They Believe Gambling Can Be Trusted and Is Fair.
According to the problem gamblers statistics, 30% of respondents think gambling is fair and can be trusted.
On the other hand, 38% think gambling is affiliated with criminal activity. Another shocking 62% of people polled think they should be allowed to gamble whenever they please.
3. 0.7% of Those Surveyed Are Considered Problem Gamblers.
What are problem gamblers? They are people who have the highest potential for loss of control when gambling by continuing to play regardless of the consequences.
This same group of online and offline gambling stats shows that 1.1% of the respondents were categorized as moderate risk for losing control. The lowest risk group came in at 2.4%.
4. 71% of Survey Respondents Think that Gambling Has a Negative Effect on Family Life.
While we all think the world is open to gambling, a majority of people are not okay with gambling. 32% think that children should be protected from gambling, not exposed to it. 79% of those polled think there are too many gambling opportunities available in our society.
5. 41% of People Believe that Setting Stake Limits on Casino Gambling Machines Is an Essential Policy Issue.
29% of people think that the timing for TV gambling ads should be stricter. 26% feel that widespread restrictions should be applied to gambling ads.
Additionally, 22% think that gambling ads should be somehow censored.
6. 60% of Gamblers Said the Main Factor for Choosing a New Operator Is the Best Odds.
According to problem gambling statistics related to choosing operators, 60% of respondents said trustworthiness and reputation is one main factor. 46% listed that offering bonuses are among the top three factors.
Consequently, 46% said that picking a brand name operator is important to them, though 27% claimed they trusted recommendations from others.
18% listed proximity as one of the major factors for choosing an operator.
Furthermore, statistics show 14% claim that availability of support is the main factor for choosing operators.
7. Among US Colleges, only 22% Offer Gambling Policies.
22% is a low percentage of colleges that fail to implement gambling policies, placing America’s young adults at risk for problem gambling by 2 to 3 times.
As a point of reference, all US colleges offer alcohol use policies.
75% of college students claim they gamble (legally or illegally), which is a high percentage likely due to the lack of gambling policies.
8. The Percentage of College Students in The US Who Partake in Sports Betting Is 67%.
This is another high percentage of college students who are partaking in some form of gambling.
Though sports betting is not the gambling option of choice, it’s still a high percentage, which says a lot about the potential for problem gambling.
9. According to The Problem Gamblers Statistics, 6% of US College Students Are Classified as Problem Gamblers.
Sticking with the potential of college problem gamblers, the facts show that 6% of students in college are already classified as problem gamblers.
While we aren’t convinced that college gambling policies will end the problem, they could curtail it.
10. College Students Who Gamble Tend to Partake in Other Risky Activities.
In comparison to college students who don’t gamble, those who do are prone to smoking cigarettes and marijuana.
Also, binge drinking alcohol, unprotected sex, and illicit drugs are prevalent among these risk-taking students. Binge drinking is most associated with unprotected sexual activities.
11. Current Sports Gambling Statistics Show that 30% of Male Athletes in College Bet on Sports.
At one-quarter of male athletes in college have been exposed to gambling before they started high school. 66% of these students experienced gambling for the first time while in high school.
Due to the athletic college male competitive behaviors, they are more apt to become problem gamblers.
Society’s norms and a sense of entitlement that often comes with being an athlete are other factors that contribute to the risk of developing gambling issues.
The desire for an adrenaline rush plays a major role in gambling among make college students in the athletic sector.
Online Gambling Statistics
Just like virtually everything else you can imagine, gambling now features online options.
Due to the pandemic, the gambling sector were forced to adapt to the new challenges of the pandemic.
They wanted to reduce the risk of casino closures and lack of profits for the gambling industry. When faced with that risk, the following statistics show how they handled it.
12. A Low 3% of America’s Population Partakes in Online Gambling.
In the UK, 17% of its population partake in online gambling. The revenues for online gambling in the UK amount to 5.3 billion pounds in the online market alone.
As a comparison, the US online gambling market revenue amounted to 306 million dollars in 2018.
That number shows a strong indicator that over 3% of Americans have partaken or currently partake in online gambling.
13. In 2020, It Was Estimated that The Gross Wins in Europe Came to 24.7 Billion Euros.
Statistics show that sports betting is 45.2% of Europe’s revenue.
One of the most interesting facts about online gambling to date is about France and how they had to turn over 691 million euros in 2018 garnered from online sports betting.
14. The Global Online Gambling Market Is Worth 450 Billion Dollars.
Even though online gambling is popular and still growing in popularity, casinos are forecasted to hold a 25% share of the worldwide market.
Accounting for US casino gaming, that comes to 79.42 billion US dollars.
15. Statistics Show that 13% of The US Population Knows About Online Gambling and Betting Platforms Like Bet Online.
Additionally, 11% of the US population claims to have partaken in sports betting online in their lifetime.
16. Macau Has the Top Gambling Revenue Based on Its Visitors at $1,354.00 per Person.
Macau may be number one, but Australia comes in second with 756 dollars in revenue per capita. Singapore takes third place at 446 dollars. Malaysia is at the bottom of the pile at 72 dollars in revenue per capita.
17. As Of 2015, Nevada Produced the Highest Gambling Profits with 11,113,830 Dollars in The US.
While Nevada thrives, Atlantic City in New Jersey lagged behind in 2015 with 2.5 million dollars in profits.
In 2006, Atlantic City produced 5.2 million dollars in profits, making the 2015 drop significant.
18. Worldwide Gambling Statistics Show that 26% of The Entire World Gambles.
When you put that 26% into numbers, that’s 2 billion and 80 million (2,080,000,000) people. Furthermore, 4.2 billion people across the globe gamble at least once per year.
19. In 2016, the Average Adult Lost More than $400.00 to Gambling.
Although the world offers multiple gambling opportunities, the United States comes in fifth with regard to the amount lost per capita.
On the flip side, Australia was leading in the amount lost in 2016 at 1,000 dollars per person.
Singapore came in second at 700 dollars per person. Ireland’s amount lost to gambling came to 500 per person, while Finland’s came to 450 per person.
20. In The UK, People Aged 45 to 54 Tend to Gamble the Most.
According to statistics, the age group that falls in second place for gambling is the 55 to 64 segment.
People aged 65 and over are in third place, while the 18 to 24 crowd tends to gamble the least.
21. The Age Market Segment that Gambles the Most in Australia Is the 40 to 49 Group.
The statistics aren’t much different from those in the US. Middle-aged people take first place for gambling the most in Australia.
Like the US, Australia’s older age group takes second place, including the 50 to 59 crowd.
22. France Came in First in 2017 for The Most Casino Visits with 33 Million People.
In 2018, Italy had the highest number of problem gamblers. The casino industry statistics for Great Britain were also high in 2018 and included 1% of the 16 to 24 age group in that number.
23. Nevada Features 5,510 Casino Games, Making It One of The Major Gambling Markets in The US.
Las Vegas, Nevada generated a 36.87% revenue share from Baccarat tables. Also, it’s been estimated that 143.14 million dollars were won at the poker tables.
Las Vegas, being the most popular destination for gambling in America, boasts that 7% of Americans claim to exclusively visit the city to gamble.
One year, a calculated 42.52 million people visit Las Vegas.
24. Las Vegas Had the Largest Revenue for Commercial Gaming in 2018, at $6.59 Billion.
Industry stats show that Atlantic City generated higher revenues in 2018 with 2.56 billion dollars in commercial casino gaming than they have since.
Chicago placed third in revenues with 1.91 billion dollars. St. Louis, Missouri came in last at 1.04 billion dollars.
25. In 2018, Nevada Also Had the Most Casino Employees.
New Jersey, including Atlantic City, made second place in its number of casino employees at 38,007 employees. Pennsylvania was third with 33,171 employees.
South Dakota was at the bottom of the list with 1,172 casino employees, and Oklahoma wasn’t far behind with 1,162 employees,
26. Gambling Industry Statistics Show that There Were 465 Commercial Casinos in The United States in 2018.
Over the years, the number of commercial casinos has risen and fallen. In 2005, there were 455 casinos, while in 2016, they had 524.
27. According to 2018 Statistics, Tribal Casinos in The US Are on the Rise.
Indian, or tribal casinos have also seen fluctuations in the number of casinos over the years.
The number of tribal casinos has gradually been on the rise since 2005. In 2005, 406 tribal casinos could be found across the US.
The most significant drop in tribal casinos occurred in 2006 when they had 372. In 2007, that number rose to 424 tribal casinos.
FAQs
How Many Gamblers Have Used Their Mobile Phone for Gambling?
In the past four weeks, about 50% of gamblers have gambled using their mobile phones.
What Type of Criminal Activities Are Associated with Problem Gamblers?
According to statistics, the percentage of crimes associated with gambling addicts includes stealing at 34%, fraud at 19%, drug trafficking at 18%, and money laundering at 17%.
Do Online Gamblers Have Multiple Accounts?
The quick answer is yes. The rest of the data says that gamblers who gamble online have an average of three accounts. 56% have more than one gambling account.
How Many People Read the Terms and Conditions of Gambling Online?
One in five gamblers read the terms and conditions. 65% found the information useful.
What Is the Most Popular Gambling Activity?
The most popular form of gambling is with the National Lottery draw. Scratch cards come in after all other lotteries.
Conclusion
One of the aspects of gambling that causes addiction is the increased levels of dopamine in the body that is released while gambling.
That happy hormone makes it seem more fun, which results in more gambling and more visits to a casino or online gambling venues.
Not all people get caught up in gambling to the point of addiction, but the potential is certainly there.
When gamblers become addicted to the adrenaline rush that gambling generates, they can keep going regardless of the adverse consequences.
You may see that in families where the drain on finances and quality time are negatively impacted.
How many people Gamble? While gambling statistics are updated at least annually, they seldom veer from the existing trends when it comes to gambling addiction or the appeal of gambling.
