Poll reveals that 45% of adults said they had gambled in the past 12 months, a 19% decline compared to 2016 when 64% reported gambling during the previous year
New research from analytics and advisory film Gallup has revealed that the percentage of US adults who have taken part in one or more forms of gambling over the past year has fallen to its lowest level in over two decades.
The company’s latest poll, released on Monday, found that just 45 per cent of participants had gambled during the previous 12 months, compared to 64 per cent in 2016.
Earlier surveys, conducted in 2003 and 2007, also recorded participation at around two-thirds of US adults, at 66 per cent and 63 per cent, respectively.
The purchase of state lottery tickets saw the biggest decline over the past decade, with participation falling from 49 per cent in 2016 to 31 per cent in 2026.
The next-largest drop was among those who had gambled at a land-based casino, which decreased from 26 per cent in 2016 to 14 per cent in 2026.
Participation in office sports pools decreased from 15 per cent to 7 per cent, while video poker fell from 9 per cent to 5 per cent, horse racing declined from 6 per cent to 2 per cent, and wagering on college sporting events dropped from 5 per cent to 4 per cent.
The survey also revealed differences by gender, age, and income. For example, “upper-income” adults were most likely to gamble, with 54 per cent reporting participation, compared to 45 per cent of “middle-income” and 40 per cent of “lower-income” individuals.
At 49 per cent, men were also more likely than women, at 40 per cent, to have gambled in the past year, while women aged 18 to 49 had the lowest participation rate, at 35 per cent.
Online gambling was the only category measured by Gallup to record growth, with the number of US adults who had gambled for money on the internet increasing from 3 per cent in 2016 to 4 per cent in 2026.