Study: Connecticut 4th in gambling spending in 2023

Connecticut is among the top five states in gambling consumer spending in 2023, according to a study that measured commercial casino consumer spending.
Free spins website, which analyzed data from the American Gaming Association’s State of the States 2024 release, found that Connecticut ranks fourth with Nutmeggers spending $106.24 per person at casinos throughout 2023, 87.98% more than the average American’s $56.61.
Connecticut’s two casinos are tribal, and there are no commercial casinos in the state. In 2023, almost $580 million was spent between these two casinos, an increase of $163 million over 2022’s reported spending of $416,196,889.
“The results of this study offers a stark view of gambling disparity across America and how that affects the casino industry,” said Marcio Pereira of freespins.com. “This is particularly the case for Nevada, considering the widely known ‘gambling capital’ of the country, not featuring in the top 10. This indicates that while the state is most certainly lucrative, the number of gamblers and the competition between the casinos can leave it to be lower on the list compared to states such as Rhode Island.”
In first place is Rhode Island, where residents spend $423.60 per person at casinos throughout 2023, a figure that’s almost 650% (649.54%) more than the average American.
There are just two casinos in Rhode Island, one in Lincoln and the other in Tiverton. These two casinos reported a consumer spend of over $700 million between them in 2023, an increase of $19,313,580 over the reported spend in 2022. These casinos are commercial, with no tribal casinos located within the state.
Delaware takes the second spot on the list, spending $219.96 per person at casinos throughout 2023, 289.21% higher than the average American’s spending in 2023.
In 2023, over half a billion dollars ($507,020,830) was spent at the three casinos in Delaware. Like Rhode Island, Delaware’s casinos are commercial, with no tribal casinos.
In third place is West Virginia, where residents spent an average of $118.79 per person at casinos in 2023, 110.2% more than the average American.
The five casinos in West Virginia reported a combined consumer spend of over $800 million, a $49,533,536 increase over the 2022 figure of $756,321,274.
Fifth place goes to Massachusetts, with Bay-Staters were found to spend $104.17 per person in 2023 at casino venues, 84.33% more than the average American.
The three commercial casinos in Massachusetts reported a massive consumer spend of over $1.6 billion in 2023, almost 50% more than 2022’s consumer spend of $1,131,925,432

Rank  State  Casino Spend Per Capita  Percentage increase compared to National Average
1.  Rhode Island  $423.60  649.54%
2.  Delaware  $219.96  289.21%
3.  West Virginia  $118.79  110.20%
4.  Connecticut  $106.24  87.98%
5.  Massachusetts  $104.17  84.33%
6.  Arkansas  $102.86  82.00%
7.  New Jersey  $92.62  63.88%
8.  Maryland  $91.20  61.38%
9.  Maine  $80.38  42.22%
10.  Virginia  $58.27  3.11%
N/A  United States  $56.51  N/A