A new report from the American Gaming Association has uncovered what seems to be a significant shift in personal attitudes towards gambling, be that online or at real-world casinos. The continuing proliferation of regulated casinos and sports betting operations appears to have had a legitimizing effect on people’s views.
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For the last decade, the percentage of Americans who believe that gambling is “generally acceptable” has stood steady at around 88%. The standout finding of the latest report is that this has now spread to personal acceptance. It’s one thing to approve of gambling in the abstract, but quite another to accept it as something one would personally participate in.
Titled American Attitudes Towards Gaming 2024, the report shows that a record 59% of Americans feel that gambling is personally acceptable. This is indeed backed up by empirical evidence. The past year saw the highest number of real-world casino visitors ever recorded in the USA when more than 122 million people patronized casinos.
This can certainly be taken as a shift in moral values and a growing acceptance of the entertainment element of gambling. However, there was also a surprisingly encouraging finding that showed almost 90% of those who had gambled at a casino in the past 12 months believe it offers good value for money.
The report further indicates that the average age of casino players is slowly lowering. This trend has been observed for the last five years at least, with the average now at around 41, compared to almost 50 years of age in 2019.
Of course, this is still strongly skewed towards an older demographic, but it does indicate that Millennials and GenZ are embracing casino entertainment at higher levels than before, pulling the average down.
This interest among younger players is attributed to the wider variety of non-traditional gambling offerings available, like those based on video games and sports-related semi-skill games. This has also been seen in the booming popularity of cash-paying skill games placed in stores and bars. It has even prompted casinos in states like Pennsylvania to lobby for them to be taxed in the same way as slot machines. This shows that the effect is being felt across the board.
Another perhaps surprising finding is that 76% of respondents indicated they believe the gambling industry has a positive impact on the economy. Americans also trust the casino industry more than other online services.
The report illustrates this by identifying that 65% believe the gaming industry is successfully encouraging responsible play. Roughly the same proportion said they had come across some form of messaging on the topic, particularly among active sports bettors. This strongly suggests that responsible gambling messaging is reaching the general population and having the desired effect.
