Study: SD is 2nd most gambling addicted state
$6,000 Welcome Bonus
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — According to a recent study by WalletHub.com, South Dakota is the 2nd most gambling addicted state in the nation, behind only Nevada.
The study compiled an overall ranking based on the factors of gambling friendliness and gambling problem and treatment. Nevada produced an overall score of 67.16, with South Dakota at 62.56.
Digging deeper into the data provided by WalletHub, it shows that South Dakota is tied with Nevada, North Dakota, and Oklahoma for the most casinos per capita. It is also tied with Nevada, Montana, and Oklahoma for the most gaming machines per capita. Oklahoma is the 5th most gambling addicted state, while Montana is 3rd, and North Dakota is 10th.
Minnesota comes in at 13th, Wyoming at 15th, Iowa at 22nd and Nebraska comes in all the way down at 43rd.
In addition for being among the states with the most casinos and gaming machines per capita, South Dakota is also number one in legality of daily fantasy sports, 8th in legality of sports gambling, and 22nd in gambling-related arrests per capita.
According to Google Maps, there are currently over 50 casinos in Sioux Falls alone. As of summer 2021, South Dakota had about 9,100 video lottery machines at 1,324 retailers in at least 235 towns and cities.
With a population of 886,667 in the 2020 census, that breaks down to around one machine for every 97 people.
