South Dakota Is One of the Most Gambling-Addicted States in America

A new study suggests that South Dakota has a serious gambling problem, but it's actually getting slightly better.

Two years after ranking as the second-most gambling-addicted state in America and one year after topping that same list, the Mount Rushmore State is now third behind Nevada and Mississippi as the most problematic places in the country.

WalletHub measured gambling in all 50 states using 21 key metrics before issuing their rankings.

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MOST GAMBLING-ADDICTED STATES (WalletHub)

1. Nevada
2. Mississippi
3. South Dakota
4. Montana
5. Louisiana
6. Oklahoma
7. New Jersey
8. Minnesota
9. West Virginia
10. Oregon

South Dakota ranked second in what WalletHub calls 'Gambling Friendlieness'. The state is tied with Nevada and Oklahoma with the most casinos per capita and trails only those two in most gaming machines per capita.

247WallSt ranks the Mount Rushmore State 21st overall in gambling-related spending ($431 per adult). The state has 22 commercial casinos, 13 tribal casinos, and over 1,300 venues with electronic gaming devices.

The latest gaming venture coming to South Dakota is legalized sports betting which has a September 2021 launch in Deadwood.

The state is number four in the Gambling Problem and Treatment' category, which factors in the percentage of adults with gambling disorders, the number of gambling counselors per capita, and the availability of gambling addiction treatment programs.

LEAST GAMBLING-ADDICTED STATES (WalletHub)

1. Utah
2. North Carolina
3. Maine
4. Michigan
5. New Mexico
6. Idaho
7. Alaska
8. Hawaii
9. Wisconsin
10. Arizona

Americans experience over $100 billion per year in total gambling losses, with an average individual gambling debt between $55,000 and $90,000.