Montana Gambling Addiction Ranks 3rd in U.S. Study

Wisconsin was my destination last weekend. I had some family business to attend to, but found time in the middle to play pull-tabs.

That got me thinking: are there pull-tabs in Montana? I haven't seen them here. If you don't know them, pull-tabs are small paper games where you peel back tabs to reveal prizes.

Yeah, they're pretty self-explanatory, I suppose.

It was a successful pull-tabs weekend, as we won $200 and netted $160.

That said, that was an anomaly. Gambling is not a consistent source of income, and I don't care who you are. That's a good reminder, especially for Montanans.

Study says Montana is one of the most addicted states to gambling

WalletHub constructed a study to find the "Most Gambling-Addicted States," and Montana ranked as the third-highest in the States.

"Montana ranks third when it comes to gambling addictions, as around 2.5% of the state’s residents have a gambling disorder, one of the highest percentages in the country. It may be difficult for people to overcome their addiction, too, considering the fact that Montana does not have gambling counselors and doesn’t require businesses to train their employees on disordered and problem gambling." - WalletHub

Credit: Nik (Unsplash)

I can't say I'm surprised based on WalletHub's methodology. They broke the study into two categories:

Gambling-Friendliness
- Casinos per capita
- Gaming machines per 1,000 residents
- Lottery sales
Gambling Problem & Treatment
- Share of adults with gambling disorders
- Gambling counselors per capita
- Spending on problem gambling services per capita

Based on the number of gaming machines in our bars, gas stations, or liquor stores, I am not surprised at all.

Nevada and South Dakota were the top two most gambling-addicted states.

Source: WalletHub