Gambling in the United States

USA gambling is more popular than ever. Legalized gambling has become an accepted way for the general American public to spend money on entertainment. USA casinos and other forms of legal US gambling are becoming more available and thus, more acceptable. There are sixteen states (and one territory) in the United States that have licensed US casinos in the form of professional casino operations. There are in the region of 450 commercial US casinos nationwide. Not all gambling is legal in all states in the US. Different states have different laws regarding gambling in their state. In South Carolina, for example, the professional or personal ownership, possession or operation of a video poker machine is illegal. The only legal US gambling in South Carolina is the Education Lottery.

Click here to visit The Best Online Casino

Statistics show that more than 25% of the adult population in the United States visited a US casino in 2006. Lotteries are the most popular form of US gambling, followed by casino gambling. Within USA casinos, the most popular games are US slots, followed by US blackjack, US poker, craps and then roulette. Many other games are also available in all land-based and online United States casinos.

There are many forms of legalized US gambling that have been authorized by the many levels of US government. These include card rooms, commercial casinos, Bingo and other charitable games, Indian casinos, legal bookmaking, lotteries and Pari-mutuel wagering.

Approximately 10-15% of the American public objects to US gambling and US casinos on moral grounds. Many of the religious sectors in the US objects to the amount of gambling that is available to the public.

US gambling is becoming so acceptable that it is now seen as an acceptable means for the government to raise tax revenues. It also provides many job opportunities, particularly within US casinos. In 2006, US casinos provided 354, 000 jobs and $5.2 billion in state and local tax revenue. In 2005, the total gross revenue from gambling was $84.65 billion.

US online casinos have also become a popular way for Americans to gamble and there are many casinos that accept US players, as well as professional US players accepted casinos.

Many Native American casinos operate on tribal land. These casinos are overseen for the Federal US government by the National Indian Gaming Commission. They use legal protection and reservation status in order to be able to operate their casinos legally.

Lotteries are also a popular form of US gambling. There are only eight states in the US that do not sell lottery tickets. There are generally state-sponsored and multi-state lotteries. Revenue from the state lotteries is either used in each state for a specific purpose, such as education or they are put into a general fund. Most states participate in multi-state lotteries, which provide much larger jackpots for participants. Other forms of US gambling may be scratch cards. There are different forms of these scratch card games. They are linked to the state lotteries.