Over 10,000 employed in private gambling industries in California and Indiana in 2017

Feeling lucky? Whether you're playing slots at a casino, betting on the horses, buying lottery tickets, or just playing bingo at the local parlor, the gambling industry is waiting for you to place your bets. In 2017, private gambling industries employed over 120,000 people across the United States, with California (16,815) and Indiana (11,329) leading the way. Gambling industries in Nevada (9,884), Pennsylvania (9,245) and Louisiana (9,054) also employed over 9,000 people.

States employing fewer than 100 people in private gambling establishments in 2017 include Idaho, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Arkansas, Hawaii, and Utah had no employment in private gambling industries.

In 2017, West Virginia (545) had the largest number of business establishments in private gambling industries, followed by Montana (398), Nevada (380), Louisiana (236), Illinois (216), and Texas (211).

With the exception of Arkansas, Hawaii, and Utah, all other states and the District of Columbia had at least one business establishment in private gambling industries. Other than the three states with no gambling businesses, Missouri, Wisconsin, Idaho, Maine, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Vermont each had fewer than 10 business establishments.  

These data are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. For more data on establishments, employment, and wages, see the QCEW data retrieval tool. Gambling industries include establishments (except casino hotels) primarily engaged in operating gambling facilities, such as casinos, bingo halls, and video gaming terminals, or in the provision of gambling services, such as lotteries and off-track betting.