AGA Survey Shows Growth in Casino Industry in 2001
Despite the many challenges 2001 threw at the casino industry, an annual survey conducted by the American Gaming Association revealed the industry reported growth in revenues and attendance nationwide.
States like Michigan, South Dakota and Missouri experienced double-digit growth in revenues and the overall casino industry revenues increased by 5 percent--from US$24.3 billion in 2000 to US$25.7 billion in 2001. Last year, the casino industry employed 364,000 people directly and attracted 52.3 million people to visit - about the same as the number of visitors to amusement and theme parks.
"Despite a difficult economy and unprecedented travel concerns, our industry thrived," said AGA President and CEO Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr. "This is a testament to the popularity of casino gaming as well as to the industry's geographic diversification, which helped it rebound from Sept. 11."
The survey included more abstract ideas about casino gaming, based on results of a nationwide poll by Peter Hart and Frank Lutz for the AGA. Questions regarding the acceptability, taxation and individual rights revealed that the American sentiment towards gambling has remained relatively consistent from year to year.
Vast Differences Between N. American and UK Sports Bettors
In preparation for a healthy World Cup sports betting season, SportingBet Plc surveyed its vast database of sports bettors to gather demographic and behavioral information to ascertain global habits and profiles.
Results of note included the revelation that U.K.-based online customers opened an average of 4.29 accounts with bookmakers and their U.S.-based counterparts had an average of only 1.45 accounts, signifying a much different view of the bookie--one as foe or someone to beat (U.K.) and one as friend (U.S.). Additionally, 45 percent of the U.K.-based sports bettors visit odds comparison sites before placing a bet, supporting the theory that U.K. bettors see the bookie as someone to beat.
The survey also found that less than 5 percent of the sports bettors worldwide were women and 70 percent preferred betting online at home, while 17 percent preferred their workplace. North American bettors were far more preferential to home-based online betting as opposed to the more common workplace bets going on in England and throughout the rest of Europe.
British respondents said their average bet was £10, while Far East respondents had averages bets of £40. A resounding 79 percent of U.K.-based bettors chose soccer as their favorite sport to bet on, with horse racing trailing at 56 percent. Mainland European customers cited tennis as a sport gaining a growing interest among bettors.
A few additional findings: German respondents noted that they were fond of thoroughly checking sites' terms and conditions. Turkish bettors had the widest margins on their bets.
Level of Youths Exhibiting Problem Gambling Behavior Remains Steady
The National Center for Responsible Gaming released the findings from its recent study of problem gambling rates among the youth population. The University of Minnesota and Ken Winters, Ph.D., an associate professor at the university, conducted the study.
The findings revealed no significant change in the levels of problem gambling exhibited by the younger generation over the last eight years. In contrast, the research revealed a marked increase in young individuals that exhibit the potential to reach a level of severe problem gambling in the future, commonly referred to as "at-risk" youth.
"Because of the significant increase in the rate of at-risk gamblers at the young adulthood stage, perhaps the most important assessment we can make from this study is the importance of monitoring the course of gambling behaviors as young people mature and to initiate prevention programs prior to the teenage years," said Winters.
The study identified several risk factors such as early interest in gambling, problems at school, substance abuse, juvenile delinquency and problem gambling history among parents that were likely to contribute to the increase in potentially at-risk adolescents and young adults.