The National Council on Problem Gaming (NCPG) released its latest National Survey on Gambling Attitudes and Gambling Experiences providing key insights.
The NCPG conducted its latest survey in April 2024 building on two previous editions of the study, which were conducted in 2018 and 2021. The NCPG completed its first survey of gambling attitudes in 2018 following the U.S. Supreme Court overturning PASPA. Three years later, the NCPG surveyed gambling attitudes at the peak of COVID-19.
The NCPG leverages the survey to provide stakeholders in the gaming industry with insights regarding player behavior and how problematic wagering extends beyond sports. Its surveys also destigmatize problem gambling as the industry expands nationwide.
The NCPG collected responses from 3,013 American adults between January 2024 and March 2024 for its latest survey with representation from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The council also used duplicate questions from its first two previous surveys.
Problematic gambling down post-COVID spike
The NCPG’s latest findings regarding gambling attitudes and experiences show a decline in problematic play with rates returning to their old form after an increase in 2021. The NCPG reports that in 2024 roughly 8% of American adults experienced at least one indicator of problematic gambling behavior equating to nearly 20 million people. By comparison, 7% of American adults experienced problem gambling behaviors in 2018. That figure rose to 11% in 2021 before the NGPC reported a decline in problematic gambling behaviors in 2024.
“After growing significantly during the pandemic and the continued expansion of sports betting, as of early 2024, risky gambling behavior has leveled off,” said the NCPG. “However, it is too early to assume that rates of problematic play are stable.”
The NCPG’s survey provides insights into the Americans who experienced at least one indicator with 15% of the adults ranging from ages 18 to 34. The survey found that only 2% of respondents who met at least one criterion for problematic play were 55 or older.
The NCPG identified gambling behaviors that can contribute to problematic play with participating in multiple verticals of gambling activity being a major factor for gambling-related harm. It also cited that believing that gambling is a good way to make money and wagering weekly or more often were strong predictors of risk in its 2024 survey.
The NCPG notes that it cannot “determine the degree to which these factors cause problem gambling, especially as they are often highly correlated to one another.”
Active bettors down from 2021 results
The NCPG’s survey found that 71% of the American adults it surveyed in 2024 gambled within the past year mirroring results from 2018. In 2021, that figure grew to 73%. The NCPG took a closer look at the verticals driving the results with sports betting expanding its reach across the country, but the number of adults placing wagers remaining stagnant.
The U.S. sports betting landscape has steadily increased its number of regulated markets to 38 states and D.C. in 2025. Despite the new opportunities for operators and suppliers, the number of American adults placing sports wagers hasn’t substantially increased.
In 2024, sports betting participation reached 23%, down from 26% three years prior. The NCPG reported in its first national survey in 2018 a participate rate of around 20%.
The presence of sports betting has increased participation in online wagering. In 2018, about 15% of the adult population placed an online wager. That figure rose to 25% three years later and in 2024 the number of Americans placing online bets was 22%.
The majority of online sports wagers are parlays with the NCPG determining that 30% of sports wagers are parlays. That is a significant jump from 17% reported in 2018.
NCPG fights to keep problem gambling hotline open
According to data provided by the NCPG, public funding for problem gambling programs has increased from approximately $80 million in 2018 to $134 million last year.
Another encouraging rise is the number of people aware of the 1-800-GAMBLER hotline. Roughly one in every three people are familiar with the problem gambling resource and even those who didn’t know the number were able to infer it was some sort of gambling addiction resource.
Earlier this week, the NCPG received a temporary restraining order to keep the national portion of the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline online after a lawsuit was filed in New Jersey regarding ownership of the number.
The 1-800-GAMBLER helpline is operated and maintained by the NCPG but is licensed from the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ). The NCPG has operated the number since reaching an agreement in 2022 with the CCGNJ to license the number for national use outside of New Jersey for $150,000 a year. The three-year deal expired in May with the two entities agreeing to a licensing extension through July 15. The temporary restraining order allows the NCPG to keep the helpline open until Aug. 26 as the legal dispute continues.
