TLDR A new Gallup poll finds 45% of US adults gambled in the past year, down from 64% in 2016 State lottery participation fell to 31%, down from 49% in 2016 Only 7% of respondents reported betting on professional sports, matching 2007 levels A parallel online survey found 53% gambling participation, eight points higher than the phone survey Prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket face legal disputes over whether their contracts count as gambling
A new Gallup poll shows that fewer Americans say they gambled in the past year compared to a decade ago. The survey found that 45% of US adults took part in at least one gambling activity in the previous 12 months.
That number is down from 64% in 2016, 63% in 2007, and 66% in 2003. Gallup conducted the phone survey between July 1 and July 19 among 1,200 adults.
This year, Gallup added two new categories to its questions. Non-sports prediction markets and paid fantasy sports were included for the first time, and they raised the overall figure from 44% to 45%.
Much of the drop comes from traditional gambling activities. State lottery participation fell from 49% in 2016 to 31% this year.
In-person casino gambling also declined. It dropped from 26% in 2016 to 14% now.
Sports betting numbers stayed low too. Just 7% of respondents said they bet on a professional sporting event in the past year, which is the same figure Gallup recorded in 2007.
That number stands out because legal sports betting has expanded across most states since 2018. Other surveys report far higher participation, including a Siena Research Institute poll that found 27% of Americans have an active online sportsbook account.
Phone vs Online Surveys Show Different Results
Gallup ran a separate online survey this year