A record 49 percent of American adults have a favorable view of the casino gaming industry, up 4 percentage points from 2018, according to new research from the American Gaming Association (AGA). The research was unveiled October 15 at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, presented by the AGA and organized by Reed Exhibitions.
The increase in favorability coincides with a surge in casino visitation and a widespread perception that the industry provides innovative, high-quality entertainment while supporting economic growth. The share of American adults that visited a casino in the last year jumped to 44 percent in 2019, up 9 percentage points from 2018. This trend looks to continue as 49 percent all Americans say they will visit a casino to gamble over the next 12 months, up from 41 percent in 2018.
“The favorability of our industry has never been higher,” said Bill Miller, AGA president and CEO. “I’m committed to continuing the association’s work to translate gaming’s vast popularity into political capital, one of my top priorities for AGA.”
Additional highlights from the survey include:
- 49 percent of Americans said that casinos help the communities where they are located
- 57 percent said casinos specifically help local economies
- 71 percent said they create jobs
- 67 percent think the gaming industry provides high-quality entertainment
- 63 percent believe casino entertainment options are innovative
These results come at a time of unprecedented growth for the gaming industry. With the spread of legal, regulated sports betting, 43 states plus the District of Columbia will soon have some form of casino gaming or sports betting. Gaming revenue for the U.S. casino industry reached an all-time high of $75.4 billion last year according to AGA’s annual State of the States report and National Indian Gaming Commission data. Today’s findings are consistent with previous AGA research showing nearly nine out of 10 Americans view gaming as a mainstream form of entertainment.
The Mellman Group conducted this survey of Americans’ attitudes on behalf of the AGA between Sept. 13 and 19, 2019 among a national sample of 1,000 registered voters. The interviews were conducted both online and via phone. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percent.
