US Gambling Stagnation

Will New Gambling Forms Make a Difference?

Authors

  • Thomas Lambert University of Louisville

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/cgs152

Keywords:

Betting, Casinos, Esports, Gambling, Horse Racing, Lotteries, Parimutuel wagering, Sports gambling

Abstract

Much has been written recently in the popular press about the rise of sports gambling, historical horse racing or instant racing (HHR), and esports.  However, despite this, some note an overall decline in the popularity of gambling and gaming in general as horse racing (pari-mutuel) wagering has declined dramatically over the decades and as casino and lottery revenues have fallen slightly since before the Great Recession.  This exploratory research note examines the trends in US gambling over the last several decades and explores whether the new forms of gambling will stem and reverse overall gambling stagnation in the United States.  Despite reports of new gambling outlet successes, it appears that sports gambling, HHR, and esports have not done much to stop the overall fall in gambling revenues.  This is probably due to stagnant disposable personal income growth.

Author Biography

Thomas Lambert, University of Louisville

Thomas E. Lambert is an applied economist with the College of Business at the University of Louisville and has mostly taught economics, equine administration, and business statistics there the last several years. Before that he taught public policy and public administration for the Master of Public Administration program at Northern Kentucky University for 5 years. He has also taught business and economics courses for IU Southeast and Simmons College of Kentucky. Professor Lambert has done research and published in the areas of economics, gambling, and public policy over the last 23 years or so, and his publications have appeared in Social Science Quarterly, Economic Development Quarterly, the Journal of Economic Issues, and the Cambridge Journal of Economics among others.

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Published

2023-01-17

How to Cite

Lambert, T. (2023). US Gambling Stagnation: Will New Gambling Forms Make a Difference?. Critical Gambling Studies, 4(1), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.29173/cgs152

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Commentary