The National Council on Problem Gambling has published its latest and third "National Survey on Gambling Attitudes and Experiences 3.0," analyzing gambling behavior in 2024 and extrapolating from the results to define broader trends in consumer behavior.
Two similar surveys, covering the periods of 2018 and 2021, respectively, have also been conducted by the NCPG to track consumer behavior amid the surge in online gambling legalization across the nation.
People showing symptoms of problem gambling are fewer today than in 2021
The survey was conducted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, encompassing 3,013 people who were interviewed between January 26, 2024, and March 20, 2024. The results have indicated that gamblers in the United States were not more affected by problem gambling and gambling-related harm in 2024 than they were in 2018.
However, in 2024, at least 38 states and the District of Columbia regulated sports gambling and other products, as opposed to just a handful in 2018 when the first survey was taken. In comparative terms, 7% of the adult population was believed to score at least one out of four markers of gambling harm in 2018 as opposed to 8% in 2024.
While there has been a slight gain in the overall numbers, the latest results are down from the 11% found to have experienced a gambling-related problem or suffer from gambling-related harm in 2021, which served as a mid-point. According to the researchers, the most likely reason has been the pandemic-related shutdowns that drove many people to gamble.
Another interesting point raised by the survey was public perception of problem gambling. With 20m-odd people in the United States potentially suffering from gambling-related harm, less than half (39%) classified this as a serious problem that merited further examination.
More education is needed, but the number of total gamblers contracts slightly
Despite the drop in people who scored a gambling-related marker, the NPCG released in statement in which it said that there was a "critical need" to raise awareness for problem gambling and the realities associated with the activity.
An interesting point raised by the survey is the fact that, despite the mass legalization of sports gambling, as the most prominent example, the number of total sports gamblers has not really changed from 2021 to 2024, when 26% and 23% of the population participated in the activity, respectively.
