In 2018, there were 465 commercial casinos in the United States, with Nevada (334), California (150+), Oklahoma (134) and Colorado (40) leading the pack. Some are the traditional Las Vegas style, some are land-based others are Native American owned, on riverboats, or pari-mutuel (pool betting). As of 2020, these states all have legal casinos. Less than 20 years later, casino gambling was legal in nine more states. Just two years later, New Jersey opened its first legal casino in Atlantic City. The decision was made to allow states to set their own gambling policies, without federal government interference. The Commission then made recommendations to different state governments that were thinking about legalizing gambling. Commission on the Review of the National Policy toward Gambling published “Gambling in America,” a report that studied attitudes about gambling in America.

Although many did not set their stakes on casino gambling being successful, it grew by fits and starts and eventually shot for the stars. One of the first major casinos to open in Las Vegas was El Rancho Vegas, opened in 1941. This is a far cry from the New Orleans gambling halls of the 1800s, gambling halls of the Old West, and the small casinos that opened in Nevada in the 1930s. In 2018, their record-setting revenues totaled $41.68 billion, an increase of 3.5 percent from the previous year. Gambling could well be America’s favorite pastime, with the commercial casino industry raking in billions every year.

In 2018, there were 465 commercial casinos in the United States.

The decision was made to allow states to set their own gambling policies, without federal government interference.

One of the first major casinos to open in Las Vegas was El Rancho Vegas, opened in 1941.

In 2018, their record-setting revenues totaled $41.68 billion, an increased of 3.5 percent from the previous year.

Slot machines at a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

States with illegal gambling