When it comes to gambling addiction, Oklahoma is ranked No. 1 in the nation in number of casinos per capita, number of gambling machines per capita, the legality of daily fantasy sports and legality of sports gambling.
That’s according to a national study by WalletHub.com’s study, “2022’s Most Gambling-Addicted States.” WalletHub compared the 50 states across 20 factors, ranging from the presence of illegal gambling operations to lottery sales per capita to the share of adults with gambling disorders.
Here is how Oklahoma ranked in that study of gambling addiction:
- 1st – Casinos per Capita
- 1st – Gaming Machines per Capita
- 9th – % of Adults with Gambling Disorders
- 25th – Gambling-Related Arrests per Capita
- 1st – Legality of Daily Fantasy Sports
- 1st – Legality of Sports Gambling
Most Gambling-Addicted States
- Nevada
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Mississippi
- Oklahoma
- Louisiana
- New Jersey
- California
- West Virginia
- North Dakota
“Gambling exists in every state, even Hawaii and Utah, where gambling is prohibited by law,” according to WalletHub. “But not all gamblers are the same. ‘Recreational’ or ‘social’ gamblers, for instance, buy the occasional lottery ticket, take the rare casino trip or bet small stakes in fantasy sports. But they also are mentally able to quit at any point and prevent catastrophic financial loss.
“But when the business or pleasure gets out of control, gambling becomes a real medical condition. Gambling disorder, as it’s known, affects about 1-3% of all U.S. adults – but it may be on the rise due to increased isolated time spent online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In fact, the industry had record-breaking profits last year despite the continued presence of the pandemic. According to the Mayo Clinic, ‘Gambling can stimulate the brain’s reward system much like drugs such as alcohol can, leading to addiction.’”
U.S. consumers experience over $100 billion per year in total gambling losses, WalletHub noted. Individually, a male gambling addict accumulates an average debt of between $55,000 and $90,000 whereas a woman averages $15,000. Most cannot afford to pay back what they owe. As a result, gambling addicts develop a high tendency to amass even more debt, suffer from other health issues, lose their jobs, strain their relationships or even commit crimes.
Should sports betting be legal in all states?
“Not in my opinion, although legalization will inevitably spread to most states,” said Patrick Pierce, Professor Emeritus, Political Science – Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame. “States will want to tax revenue and not lose out to other states. The ‘pros’ simply involve offering a form of recreation to gamblers and potentially providing revenue from ‘voluntary taxation’ to state governments. The ‘cons’ include the regressivity of that voluntary tax, further spread of gambling addiction, and the property crimes committed by compulsive gamblers to fund their habit.”
Pierce thinks daily fantasy sports should be regulated as gambling.
“The government should have regulatory power over any form of gambling,” Pierce said. “Unfortunately, it is unlikely that any governmental unit will take this obligation seriously; regulation will occur only when a dramatic failure occurs (e.g., a compulsive gambler commits a heinous crime or egregious corruption occurs).”
What about state lotteries?
“State lotteries are a bad idea,” Pierce said.
“They will always be regressive and tax those least likely to be able to afford the loss. They also shield politicians from the obligation to raise taxes (in a more progressive way) to fund crucial public programs. Finally, states have never taken seriously the need to protect individuals who are addicted to gambling.”
“In general, I think lotteries are a very bad idea. I understand why they are legal and why states choose to use them to help finance areas like education, but they really are incredibly regressive,” said Benton W. Tyler, professor at the University of Montevallo.
“Many lower-income individuals may see lotteries (more-so than other forms of gambling) as their chance to find their way out of poverty or near poverty, but the odds are simply not in their favor.
“When lottery income is used to finance money for college, this often results in poorer people paying for the education of those with more money than them. I am honestly not sure how we could make lotteries less regressive, but educating the people that play these games about the chances of actually winning and where the money really goes would be a step in the right direction.”
For the report, visit wallethub.com.