A customer playing a slot machine at the Ocean Casino Resort on Feb. 10, 2022 in Atlantic City N.J. On Tuesday, Feb. 15, the American Gaming Association released figures showing that U.S. commercial casinos won $53 billion in 2021, making it the gambling industry's best year ever. ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — America's commercial casinos won $53 billion in 2021, their best year ever according to figures released Tuesday.
They also show that many gamblers have not been deterred from visiting a casino in person, even during the pandemic, when highly contagious variants of the virus were surging. The casinos have spent millions on health and safety protocols to try to limit the spread of the virus. Of the 33 states plus Washington D.C. that have commercial gambling, 23 set records for revenue last year.Sports betting continued its rapid growth, with more than $57 billion wagered legally on games last year, an increase of 165% from 2020. Of that total, casinos and racetrack sportsbooks saw nearly $4.3 billion in revenue after winning bets and other expenses were paid. That's up 177% from 2020.
The group did voice concern over the slow return of business and leisure travel during the pandemic. Miller said overall travel spending is down 20% from pre-pandemic levels. Miller said 2022 is looking promising for the casino industry, citing the launch of mobile sports betting in Louisiana and New York, which in just four weeks has become the No. 1 sports betting in the nation, with over $2 billion wagered.
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