CNBC – Las Vegas is easily America’s city that is most synonymous with recreational risk-taking. Atlantic City, especially for those on the East Coast, has also long been known as a place to take a chance on blackjack or drop coins in a slot machine. But in truth, the United States is dotted with gambling havens from coast to coast. With tax rates up to 40 percent, these businesses can generate hundreds of millions in state revenues.
We decided to look at the states with the most revenue from commercial gambling in 2012. Some of the 13 states that made our list won’t surprise you. Others, such as Iowa, may.
The numbers do not include tribal gaming, because The National Indian Gaming Association does not publish state-by-state revenue, though revenue on all Native lands combined was $27 billion in 2013. Including all of the money tribal casinos generate would place California and Connecticut among the top markets for gambling in the U.S., and onto this list.
But non-tribal casinos are growing, and most of the states on this list legalized gambling sometime in the last 25 years. New casinos are built every year and many of the states with the biggest gaming markets may surprise you.
