Study: Casino industry generates USD 329 B in economic activity in the US

The American Gaming Association released a study on Monday showing that, in 2022, the economic impact of the industry increased by 26% compared to 2017, before the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commercial and tribal casinos generate 1.8 million jobs, including 700,000 in the casinos themselves or related businesses, a similar number to 2017. Those jobs generated $104 billion in wages nationwide, an increase of 40% compared to 2017, according to the report.

The industry paid $52.7 billion in taxes to federal, state and local governments last year, an increase of 29% compared to 2017, the study indicates.

This is the first study released by the association since 2018, in which data from 2017 was presented.

Bill Miller, president and CEO of the association, said the numbers demonstrate the “solidity and continued strength” of the casino industry since the arrival of the pandemic.

“Think about the situation we were in just a few years ago, with almost 1,000 casinos, almost all of them closed,” he said. “Today we are recording record revenues in the industry.”

Miller said the association will use the study's figures to make a case to lawmakers for the gambling industry's goals, including for the government to crack down on unauthorized gambling operations.

In 2023 the casino industry in the United States is having the best year in its history in terms of money won from gamblers. It is set to surpass the $60 billion it won from bettors last year.

“I think it demonstrates the continued popularity of casino gambling in the United States,” said David Schwartz, a gambling historian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus. “Despite some economic headwinds, casinos remain important drivers of economic activity.”

Jane Bokunewicz, director of the Lloyd Levenson Institute at Stockton University in New Jersey, which studies the gambling industry in Atlantic City, said the money the casinos made is just part of their overall contribution to the country's economy.

“Casinos are often the largest employers in a region, with significant commitments in terms of wages and benefits,” she said. “People who work for casinos use these salaries and benefits to purchase additional products and services, generating a secondary economic impact.”