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More than 50 Million U.S. Adults Make Casino Gambling Entertainment Choice

A survey released today sheds new light on the more than 50 million Americans who visited a casino last year, revealing significant differences between gamblers and non-gamblers.

The survey highlights distinctions between the two groups on issues as disparate as retirement investing and leisure time activities.

Profile of the American Casino Gambler: Harrah's Survey 2025 finds that the typical casino player is in fact quite different from the stereotypes. The survey, commissioned by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET - News), is based on two nationwide studies: the Roper Reports, conducted by Roper ASW, and the U.S. Gaming Panel, conducted by NFO WorldGroup, Inc.

The complete survey is posted online at harrahs/about_us/survey/.

"The results of this survey disprove a number of longstanding myths about casino players," said Gary Loveman, Harrah's president and chief operating officer. "The findings demonstrate that casino players have broad appetites for life-enriching experiences, are financially stable and responsible, and are active in political and community life."

The survey also explores the relationship between income, age, education, and casino gambling; it identifies the areas of the country where casino gambling is most and least popular; and it pinpoints the top casino destinations for residents of each state and many metropolitan areas.

Player Demographics
The median household income of casino gamblers is $49,753 versus $41,343 for the overall U.S. population - a 20 percent difference. As the income of an individual rises, so does the likelihood he or she is a casino gambler. Thirty-five percent of Americans with annual household income levels above $95,000 gamble in casinos, while only 22 percent of adults in homes earning less than $35,000 are casino players

The typical casino player is middle-aged and more likely to be female, according to the survey. The median age of casino gamblers is 46, with casino participation peaking in the 51-56 age group. The male/female ratio of casino players is 45 percent/55 percent, while the ratio among the overall U.S. population is 48 percent/52 percent.
Gamblers' Financial Affairs

Casino players share the same financial concerns as other Americans, the survey found, but tend to be more secure about their future. When compared to non-gamblers, casino players are:

More likely to put their money in investments that offer more opportunity for long-term earnings: During a 12-month period, 57 percent of gamblers invested in a retirement or pension plan as opposed to 43 percent of non-gamblers.

More inclined (53 percent versus 41 percent) to believe they have or will have enough money to live comfortably during their senior years, the survey found.

Less concerned about their ability to meet basic financial obligations such as paying the mortgage or rent (20 percent versus 26 percent), medical bills (20 percent versus 28 percent) and other debts.

Non-gamblers, however, were more likely (46 percent versus 41 percent) to report that "to become wealthy" is part of their idea of the American Dream.

Leisure Time
While gamblers share many of the same leisure time preferences as Americans overall, they are far more active in their leisure time, according to Profile of the American Casino Gambler.

Gamblers have a wide variety of interests and hobbies and are more likely than non-gamblers to engage in many activities, including: travel (36 percent to 24 percent), fishing (31 percent versus 23 percent), camping (26 percent versus 19 percent), and bicycling (22 percent versus 14 percent).

Gamblers are more avid readers and are far more likely to be out-and-about eating at restaurants, traveling on weekends, going to cultural events and engaging in other activities outside the home.
Home and Community

Casino players, like other Americans, rank being a good spouse and parent as most important to "being successful," the survey found. Four out of 10 gamblers (versus 34 percent of non-gamblers) mention "being true to one's self" as their personal idea of success. Other key findings include:

Gamblers rank manners and politeness as the qualities most essential to instill in their children (67 percent versus 61 percent for non-gamblers).
Non-gamblers have a greater tendency to rank religious faith as an important quality (36 percent versus 28 percent for gamblers).

Casino players are more likely to feel a strong affinity with three distinct communities: workplace (47 percent versus 36 percent for non-gamblers), professional groups or unions (18 percent versus 9 percent) and college or school alumni associations (15 percent versus 8 percent).

Casino players are more inclined to participate in civic and political affairs. They are more likely than non-gamblers to have signed a petition (34 percent versus 25 percent); attended a public, town or school meeting (22 percent versus 14 percent); or served as an officer of a club or organization (10 percent versus 6 percent).

Games of Choice
Among player preference findings:

Casino players prefer slot machines and video poker machines to table games: 74 percent versus 14 percent, with 8 percent expressing no preference.
The highest preference for slot machines was measured in the nation's north central census region. Table games are most popular among younger adults and least popular among the country's oldest casino players. Men are almost twice as likely as women to report table games as their favorite type of casino gambling.

Casino Visitation
53.2 million adults (age 21 or older) made a total of 303.3 million trips to gamble at casinos last year, or an average of 5.7 visits per gambler per year. With a total U.S. adult population of 196.9 million, the 53.2 million adult visitors in 2025represent a national casino gambling participation rate of 27 percent.

Growth Potential in the East
The survey found that a number of populous states east of the Mississippi have casino participation rates (percent of adults that gambled at a casino in 2001) below the national average: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Additionally, eight of the nation's 20 most populous Designated Market Areas, or DMAs, have casino penetration rates below the national average. All but one is east of the Mississippi River: Boston; Washington, D.C.; Dallas-Ft. Worth; Atlanta; Cleveland; Miami-Ft. Lauderdale; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Sarasota; and Pittsburgh.

Where Casino Players Live
Harrah's Survey 2025found that nearly 53 percent of Americans' casino trips in 2025were taken by gamblers residing in the top 10 casino feeder states: California, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Michigan, Texas, New Jersey, Louisiana, Missouri and Pennsylvania. Additional findings about where casino players live include:

Only three of the top feeder states - Nevada, Missouri and Louisiana - are not among the top 10 states in population. Thirty-two states each generated more than two million casino trips in 2001. Gamblers living in the top 20 casino feeder markets (DMAs) took nearly 51 percent of total U.S. casino trips. The top five feeder markets accounted for about a quarter of total U.S. casino, according to the Harrah's survey. About Harrah's Survey 2002: Profile of the American Casino Gambler

Profile of the American Casino Gambler is based on two nationwide studies: the Roper Reports, conducted by Roper ASW; and the U.S. Gaming Panel, conducted by NFO WorldGroup, Inc.

Roper ASW administered face-to-face interviews to a nationwide sample of 2,000 men and women, 18 years of age or older, in respondents' homes. The margin of error for a question in the Roper Reports answered by all 2,000 respondents at a 95 percent confidence level is approximately +/- 3 percent. NFO WorldGroup, Inc. mailed a survey questionnaire to a panel of 100,000 adults, 21 years of age or older, within the Continental United States. The survey generated 66,283 respondents from which NFO identified the U.S. Gaming Panel, a nationally representative sample of 17,942 casino players. The margin of error for a question asked of all 17,942 casino players at a 95 percent confidence level is approximately +/- 1 percent and can vary between +\- 1 percent and +/- 5 percent depending on sample segmentation