Americans spend $34 billion on casinos

Are you a big spender or careful with your chips?  The American public's appetite for casinos has not waned, and indeed appears to be growing.

A new survey by the American Gaming Association showed that $34 billion was lost by gamblers in US casinos in 2007, excluding tribal resorts, which are separately controlled.  This figure represents a 5% increase from 2006 and a 73% increase over the last 10 years.

The total gambling revenue exceeds the combined income from movie tickets and video games combined - this shows that the casino market is a significant player in the US entertainment industry.

Almost a quarter of the population - over 50 million Americans - visited a casino at least once last year, and in many cases, made multiple visits.

The $34 billion includes only revenues from casino gambling.  However, casino resorts make a large chunk of money from their other activities, such as restaurants, shows, shopping and hotels.  A subsequent report will be published showing these figures.

Local governments also did well out of gambling, earning a sizeable $5.79 billion in taxes from the casinos.

The latest report goes to show that although the online casino market is floundering in the US - due to the UIGEA - the land-based casino industry is alive and kicking.