- Which state makes the most revenue per capita?
- Which state makes the most tax revenue?
- Does the most populous state make the most in revenue?
- Which states provide the most gambling industry jobs?
- Which state contributes the most to the local economy?
- How much does gambling contribute to the US economy?
Currently seven states operate legal online gambling in the US, and with increased tax rates often given to online operators (compared to their land-based counterparts), who will we see contribute the most to the country's economy? We dive in below and look at: most gross gaming revenue per capita, most tax revenue, most jobs, largest economic impact, and does the most populous state give the most in revenue?
Which state makes the most revenue per capita?
Smallest revenue: Montana ($9)
Largest revenue: Nevada ($4,772)
Despite not having online casinos, the home to the City of Sin still ranks as the highest earning state per capita. Nevada has a population of 3,310,833 and accumulates a gross gaming revenue of $15.8B. This calculates to $4,772 revenue per person in 2025. However, as we all know, Las Vegas is a hotspot for tourists so the in-house revenue from the state's 231 casinos and 54 sportsbooks still outperforms any other state - even those with online casinos - when it comes to revenue per head.
Whereas the state which makes the least revenue per capita is Montana. In Montana, land-based casinos and sportsbooks are present as well as online sportsbooks, but the state has a population of just 1,137,233 - almost one third of Nevada. Revenue in Montana came in at $10.31M which works out at $9 per capita for the year.
Which state makes the most tax revenue?
Smallest tax revenue: Kentucky + Arizona ($13 per capita)
Largest tax revenue: Nevada ($2,419 per capita)
Nevada has one of the lowest sports betting & casino tax rates at just 3.5%- 6.75% (tiered) but still tops the rest when it comes to state tax contribution. Additionally, sportsbooks are required to pay a 0.25% contribution from wagering handle. Regardless of this, the state rakes in $8.01B in tax revenue which quantifies to approximately $2,419 per capita.
On the other hand, Kentucky contributes the lowest amount of tax, while having a fairly high tax rate, with a tax rate of 14.25% - and operating both land-based and online sportsbooks. Despite having a relatively high population of 4,629,682, the revenue remained low at $337.4M so tax taken was $58.3M. This works out approximately $13 per head.
Furthermore, Arizona also matches the tax contributed per head at just $13. Arizona has a large population of 7,691,212 and operates online sports betting as well as all land-based types of gambling, but despite this the state's revenue comes in at $838.7M, and at a tax rate of 10% the tax contribution works out at $96.5M.
Does the most populous state make the most in revenue?
Smallest population: Wyoming with 590,784 residents and $27.35M revenue
Largest population: California with 39,355,309 residents and $8.41B revenue
Differences between least populous and most populous state: population = 66.6x / revenue = 307.5x.
The state with the highest gambling revenue is actually Nevada ($15.8B), with California ($8.41B) coming in second. So, despite California being the most populous state in the US, and almost 12x the size of Nevada, Nevada makes almost twice the revenue of California.
Additionally, the state with the lowest gambling revenue is Montana with just $10.3M. Therefore, despite Wyoming being the least populous state it actually makes more revenue than Montana, which has almost twice the population.
So to answer the question - overall, no - the most populous state does not make the most in gambling revenue.
Which states provide the most gambling industry jobs?
Least jobs: Vermont (436 jobs)
Most jobs: Nevada (330,074 jobs)
Once again, sitting at the top for the amount of jobs in the casino and sports betting industry is Nevada with an astounding 330,074 jobs. When accounting for the population this works out to around 1 in 10 people working in the gambling industry within Nevada.
On the flip side, with a population of 642,805 and just three online regulated sportsbooks (no land-based betting), Vermont provides the least industry jobs within the US at just 436. On average, 1 in every 1,474 residents works in the industry.
Which state contributes the most to the local economy?
Smallest economic impact: Alaska ($148.7M)
Largest economic impact: Nevada ($59.37B)
You guessed it, Nevada comes up top again - like all of the times before - when it comes to economic impact. Due to the sheer volume of elite gambling locations and the amount of tourism it attracts, Nevada is the state with the largest economic impact within the US. When calculating this figure against the population it works out at an astounding $17,900 per resident in economic activity during 2025.
Meanwhile, Alaska only provides two land-based casinos for residents with a small population of 738,003 - resulting in the lowest economic contribution across all US states. When divided up this works out to around $202 per resident. When compared to Nevada, Nevada tops Alaska by 89x.
How much does gambling contribute to the US economy?
Despite not being legal over the whole of the US, with only seven states permitting online casinos and some states like Utah banning gambling entirely, the country makes an astounding amount of both gross gaming revenue and tax from gambling.
In 2025, the US made $52.7B (including tribal revenue share) in taxes and gross gaming revenue raked up $125B. Additionally, jobs supported was 1.8 million and the overall economic impact was $328.6B. These figures put the US as the largest gambling market in the world and as more states unlock to online gambling this status, and these figures, will only continue to grow beyond every other country in the world.
The question is, will any other state eventually surpass Nevada's impressive figures?
Methodology
Population figures are correct as of 1 July 2026 and are tracked by Census.gov. Revenue, economic contribution, jobs, tax contribution all sourced from American Gaming Association (AGA) tracker and tax rates were also sourced from AGA revenue documents per state.
In some states, tax and revenue figures are unavailable because the casinos are operated by sovereign tribal nations under Tribal State Gaming Compacts, governed by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) 1988. Tribes are not subject to state taxation on tribal lands, though many make revenue-sharing payments to states under their individual compacts, meaning standard revenue reporting obligations do not apply.
