Does Colorado Have A Gambling Problem? We’re Top 20 For Most Addicted

We're no sin city, but it would appear Colorado loves its gambling as our beautiful state has landed on the "Top 20 most gambling-addicted states" list.  Here's what that means.

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Colorado Top 10 Gambling-Addicted State

Yes, you can gamble in any state, and it's starting to get easier to do, legally anyway, over the last few years with online betting becoming legal in Colorado and many other states. I've been to Las Vegas maybe 10-15 times, and Central City / Blackhawk a handful of times over the years too but neither are really my jam. I like my money too much to throw it away, and apparently, I don't have the knack to walk away while things are good. I put $10 in a machine in Blackhawk a few years back at a staff retreat up the mountain. I got up to $200 and ended up losing it all. I bet $100 and red and $100 on black just for fun in Vegas, and guess what? It landed on green. My luck is brutal when it comes to gambling so I've never partaken in that fun. I do like Vegas for the atmosphere and all of the things there is to do there but that's it. I'm the minority though because Colorado as a whole, loves to gamble and we've landed on the Top 20 most gambling-addicted states list.

Colorado Gambling Problem

Our pals at Wallethub put together a ranking for all states in the U.S. based on their addictive gambling behavior, and Colorado has landed at #18 on their list. The rankings are based on the following...

• Most Casinos per Capita
• Most Gaming Machines per Capita
• Highest Lottery Sales per Capita
• The highest percentage of adults with gambling disorders
• Most Gambling-Related Arrests per capita

Most Gambling-Addicted States Map

As you can see on the map above from Wallethub, the three worst states for gambling are Montana, at #3, South Dakota at #2, and to nobody's surprise, Nevada lands at #1. Gambling can be "fun" but it's also extremely addictive.  Wallethub reports that gambling disorders affect approximately 1-3 percent of all U.S. adults. U.S. Consumers experience over $100 billion in total gambling losses per year. The average male gambling addict has an average debt of $55,000 to $90,000 and females average about $15,000. I guess you can see based on those numbers how quickly things can get out of hand. If you or a loved one has a gambling problem, go to ncpgambling.org or call/text 1-800-522-4700.