The first quarter of 2023 also saw the industry’s highest-grossing month ever, with $5.9bn in March revenue alone.
“Following two consecutive years of steady growth post-Covid, the US gaming industry is in its most robust shape ever,” said AGA president and CEO Bill Miller (pictured).
“This is thanks to record-breaking growth across all gaming verticals – from traditional brick-and-mortar casinos, to the burgeoning mobile gaming sector.
“American adults have confirmed their preference for gaming as a top entertainment choice,” he added.
The AGA tracker displayed significant gains across the board. Of the 35 commercial gaming markets nationwide, 18 set new revenue records for the quarter.
The only state not to show year-on-year growth was Mississippi, which fell slightly short of its Q1 2022 revenue.Retail gambling was responsible for 75.3% of total revenue, while online gambling represented its largest share to date at 24.7%.
Traditional land-based casino gaming generated $12.3bn in quarterly revenue, narrowly outperforming the previous record of $12.26bn from Q3 2022.
On a national scale, Americans wagered $31.1bn on legal sports betting in Q1 2023, leading to record-breaking quarterly revenue of $2.79bn, up 70.1% annually.This boom can largely be attributed to the recent market launches in Kansas, Massachusetts, and Ohio.
Online casino, or iGaming, also enjoyed a strong quarter, reporting $1.48bn in revenue, marking a 22.7% rise on the same period of last year.
During the full year 2022, commercial gaming generated an all-time high of $13.48bn in direct gaming tax revenue paid to state and local governments, up 15.3% year-on-year.