Gallup Poll Shows U.S. Gambling Participation Reaches Record Low
The latest Gallup tracking reveals that just 45 percent of U.S. adults took part in any form of gambling during the past year, marking the lowest figure recorded in recent surveys. This result comes from a phone poll of 2,201 adults and stands in contrast to the 64 percent participation rate measured in 2016 along with levels near two-thirds that appeared in earlier 2000s data. Participation fell across nearly every category that Gallup has tracked consistently, even as legal sports betting and online platforms expanded in multiple states.Key Participation Numbers
Lottery play dropped to 31 percent, while casino visits reached only 14 percent among respondents. These figures reflect broad declines that touched sports betting, online gambling, and other formats despite the rollout of new legal options in recent years. The survey captured responses across all major demographic groups, and the downward pattern held steady regardless of age, income, or region.
Data from the poll shows that fewer people reported trying any gambling activity at all. This shift occurred even though states have added retail sportsbooks, mobile betting apps, and additional lottery games since the previous measurement. Researchers compiled the results through standard telephone methodology that Gallup has used for prior gambling studies, allowing direct year-over-year comparisons.
Category Trends Across the Board
Every major type of gambling tracked by the survey posted lower numbers than in earlier rounds. Lottery participation, which once drew larger shares of adults, now sits at 31 percent. Casino gambling, another longstanding category, fell to 14 percent. Sports betting and online options, though newly available in more places, did not offset the overall drop and instead showed participation rates that remained modest relative to pre-expansion expectations.
The consistency of these declines across categories points to a broad change in behavior rather than movement from one format to another. Gallup's figures indicate that adults who once played the lottery or visited casinos reduced their involvement without a corresponding rise in newer betting channels. This pattern emerged clearly in the 2,201-person sample collected during the most recent polling period.
Demographic Consistency in the Decline
Breaks by age, gender, and household income all showed lower participation than previous surveys. Younger adults, older adults, men, and women each registered reduced rates compared with 2016 and earlier benchmarks. The uniform nature of the drop suggests the trend extends beyond any single population segment and appears throughout the adult population that Gallup sampled.
Income levels produced similar results, with both higher-earning and lower-earning households reporting less gambling activity overall. Regional data followed the same direction, as participation fell in states with expanded betting markets and in those without major changes. The phone survey captured these patterns through direct respondent answers rather than projections or modeling.
Expanded Legal Options Yet Lower Engagement
Legal sports betting has grown in more than a dozen additional states since 2016, and several jurisdictions now permit online casino-style games. Despite these developments, the Gallup numbers show no corresponding increase in reported participation. The 45 percent overall figure sits below both the 2016 level and the higher shares recorded in 2000s surveys, indicating that availability alone has not translated into wider adult involvement.
Survey questions covered a range of activities including lotteries, casinos, sports betting, and online gambling. Respondents answered whether they had taken part in any of these during the previous 12 months, and the combined yes responses produced the 45 percent total. The methodology remained consistent with prior Gallup efforts, supporting direct comparisons across time periods.
Conclusion
The Gallup poll of 2,201 adults documents a clear reduction in U.S. gambling participation to 45 percent for the most recent year measured. Lottery engagement reached 31 percent and casino participation stood at 14 percent, with similar drops appearing across other tracked formats. These results hold across demographic categories and coincide with expanded legal betting options that have not reversed the downward movement from 2016 and earlier decades. The full report appears on the Gallup site at news.gallup.com.