This study by Henry Lesieur from the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences found that pathological and problem gamblers account for an average of 30.4 percent of total gambling expenditures in the four U.S. states and three Canadian provinces he examined (the low was 22.6 percent, the high was 41.2 percent in Louisiana). The study identified which games were associated with problematic play and identified “video machines” (as opposed to old-style slots) in that group. Lesieur concluded: “When a state decides to shift from lotto to instant or scratch lottery tickets to video machines as a revenue-raising measure, it is taking a greater and greater percentage of money from problem gamblers.”
WATCH: “Who Profits From Causing Gamblers to Die by Suicide? Examining Corporate and State Accountability for the Institution of Predatory Gambling”
February 24, 2026
Despite a mountain of evidence, states continue to partner with powerful gambling corporations to promote ever more extreme forms of