AGA: Americans view casino industry more favorably than ever

(PRESS RELEASE) -- A record 49% of American adults have a favorable view of the casino gaming industry, up four percentage points from 2018, according to new research from the American Gaming Association. The research was unveiled today at the Global Gaming Expo, the premier gathering of the global gaming industry presented by the AGA and organized by Reed Exhibitions.

The increase in favorability coincides with a surge in casino visitation and a widespread perception that the industry provides innovative, high-quality entertainment while supporting economic growth. The share of American adults that visited a casino in the last year jumped to 44% in 2019, up nine percentage points from 2018. This trend looks to continue as almost half of all Americans (49%) say they will visit a casino to gamble over the next 12 months, up from 41% in 2018.

“The favorability of our industry has never been higher,” said Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “As gaming expands across the U.S. and more Americans engage with our industry’s offerings, they see firsthand gaming’s positive impact on local economies and its value as a community partner. I’m committed to continuing the association’s work to translate gaming’s vast popularity into political capital, one of my top priorities for AGA.”

Additional highlights from the survey include:

• Nearly half of Americans (49%) say that casinos help the communities where they are located, while clear majorities say that casinos specifically help local economies (57%) and create jobs (71%).
• Two in three Americans (67%) think the gaming industry provides high-quality entertainment and 63% believe casino entertainment options are innovative.

These results come at a time of unprecedented growth for the gaming industry. With the spread of legal, regulated sports betting, 43 states plus the District of Columbia will soon have some form of casino gaming or sports betting. Gaming revenue for the U.S. casino industry reached an all-time high of $75.4 billion last year according to AGA’s annual State of the States report and National Indian Gaming Commission data. Today's findings are consistent with previous AGA research showing nearly nine out of 10 Americans view gaming as a mainstream form of entertainment.