How do the zodiac signs stack up when it comes to testing their luck in Vegas? We spoke with celebrity astrologer and psychic, Inbaal Honigman, to unpack how each zodiac sign acts on a trip to Sin City. 

Aries (March 21 – April 19)

With Aries being a fire sign, personified by confidence and gusto, we asked Inbaal to share her thoughts on the first zodiac sign of the 12 in astrology:

“Aries likes to be outdoors and keep active whenever they can. So naturally, their favorite part of Vegas is actually all the things outside of Vegas. You’ll find Aries striding uphill in the Valley of Fire State Park on a brisk hike. Those born under the sign of the Ram make their own schedule, so they suit the 24-hour nature of Las Vegas, opting for an outdoors excursion that’s bound to start at the crack of dawn.”

Taurus (April 20 – May 20)

Inbaal continues to the second sign of the zodiac wheel, sharing her thoughts on the dependable bull sign. 

“Taurus, out of all three Earth signs, really appreciates the good life and loves only the best that each city has to offer. With so many world-class hotels in one zip code, Vegas offers a lovely holiday for introverted travelers, like Tauruses.

Let Taurus enjoy Vegas in their special, low-key way, by curling up with a great book and a room-service cup of cocoa at the Bellagio, while the stunning view changes from day to night.

Those born under the sign of the Bull want to savor every moment, just living their best lives with their favorite person in the comfort of their hotel suite.”

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)

As far as clichés go, Geminis aren’t known as the most likable sign, but Vegas is where they shine! Inbaal tells us about Geminis in Vegas by saying, 

“Gemini is an air sign that loves socializing above all else. With or without alcohol, daytime or night, smart or casual, the party never stops. For this reason, the specific details of their time in Sin City are unclear or unknown. Good luck trying to track down a Gemini once the party gets going.

The Hangover could be considered an ode to this Zodiac sign. Photographic evidence of their wild evenings is the only way for Geminis to piece together their lost weekend in Las Vegas. Those born under the sign of the Twins won’t remember much of their time in the desert, but they’ll know that they loved it.”

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)

Don’t go crying over spilled $30 Caesars Palace cocktails, Cancer! Inbaal finds the bright side of Vegas for Cancer signs by sharing – 

“Cancer is a water sign that appreciates spending quiet times together, checking out beautiful sites. Vegas might not be their first pick, but there’s plenty for them to love!

The Bellagio Fountain Show ticks all their boxes, as they’ll stand peacefully, holding hands with their partner, admiring the sights. As true poets, they enjoy the droplets of water, against the majestic backdrop, in the heart of the desert. They might even shed a tear at the thought.”

Leo (July 23 – August 22)

What about the sweet summer children? August babies should have a grand time in the city of the sun, right? 

“Leo is a fire sign that loves nothing more than to win. Any opportunity to hear the jingle of the slots is a great joy for Leo.

This quick-thinking fire sign doesn’t like to waste time, either, so they’ll start aiming for that jackpot the moment they’ve landed and can get to the airport terminal’s slot machines. 

Leo is an all-or-nothing sign, so if they’re in the Gambling Capital of the US, let’s just say, they’re going to go for it wherever they can. 7 am in arrivals? Midnight in the departure lounge? A wins a win. Lucky and bright, those born under the sign of the Lion will delight at the very Vegas pastime of gambling at the airport.”

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)

Virgos are known for their stickler nature, but it doesn’t mean they can’t let loose every once in a while to try their hand at luck. Inbaal spills on what a Virgo is like in Vegas: 

“Virgo, in all its earth-sign practicality, likes real-life successes. They’re confident that they can beat the system, and that the house doesn’t always win. They’ve got a knack for perfection, so they’re sure to try to gain the system, but not at the slots.

They’ll have a strict budget to enjoy some table games, but their true profit margin comes from having fun with all the goodies that the city has to offer.

After strategically weighing out the best options, Virgo will eat at the buffet every day.

Those born under the sign of the Virgin are sensible and organized. A regular, everyday win such as an all-you-can-eat with a set price, is Virgo’s idea of winning.”

Better yet? An all-you-can-eat buffet at the Hoover Dam so they can be efficient with their vacationing…it’s just the Virgo way!

Libra (September 23 – October 22)

Is balance the true nature of Libra once they hit Vegas? Inbaal lets us know what to expect of our lovely Libra friends when they land in Sin City.

“Libra is the epitome of an air sign. Known for being elegant, graceful, and friendly, their favorite experiences must center around peace and relaxation.

The nightlife of the neon jungle of Las Vegas might be a bit much for the sensitive Libra, so a romantic Gondola Ride at the Venetian is a perfect way for them to escape the hustle and bustle.

Librans like to observe life from a different perspective – seeing the city from the water is sure to grab their attention far more than the lights and action of The Strip. Those born under the sign of the Scales take delight in listening to music, too, so being serenaded by a gondolier is high on their Vegas bucket list.”

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)

Is a Scorpio sure to sting in Sin City? Characterized as extreme and independent, we asked Inbaal what kind of force we’re reckoning with when taking a Scorpio on a Vegas trip.

“Sometimes misidentified as a fire sign for its enigma, Scorpios are that of water. They love living life on the edge. Their signature style is intense with a hint of sexy – a fun, but dangerous combo for Vegas.

Like other water signs, Scorpio loves being near or in water, and they love getting together with people who also love water activities.

Leaning into their watery side, you can catch a Scorpio at the Wet Republic pool party. Their ideal situation is a scandalous suit, surrounded by dozens of other ‘you only live once’ style partiers under the hot Nevada sun. Those born under the sign of the Scorpion wear their sexiness on their sleeve, so expect them to pressure (or push) you into the pool with them.”

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)

A Sag on any trip is bound to be a good time. Inbaal shares what Vegas with this feisty fire sign is like. 

“Sagittarius is a fire sign that adores adventure, pushing boundaries, and taking risks – so, essentially Vegas.

Their fearlessness will cause them to not want to miss a thing, so an adrenaline ride of three minutes fits seamlessly into their itinerary. Those born under the sign of the Archer like to be surrounded by thrill. The Big Apple Coaster at New York New York will certainly feed into their adventure-seeking nature.”

Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)

Do the Sea Goats of the zodiac have as grand of a time as Scorpios? Inbaal lets us know what to expect from Capricorns on their Vegas adventures. 

“Capricorns may be an earth sign, but they have a real lust for luxury. The opulence of Vegas as a whole delights them.

Nowhere more so, than at Caesars Palace Casino, where every location shows grandeur, and every selfie screams splendor. Focused and ambitious, Capricorn likes to try and win when they gamble. Even if they don’t walk away with the jackpot, they’ll stick to a budget and make a game plan. 

The make-believe world of richness at the Caesar’s Palace Casino is perfect for those born under the sign of the Sea-goat, as they act out their lavish fantasies for a day and gamble away just the perfect amount of cash.”

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)

Is an Aquarius set to have a fun time on the Strip or do they prefer the quiet luxury of their hotel room? Inbaal lets us into the vacationing world of Aquarians. 

“Aquarius is an air sign that appreciates uniqueness. If they’re in the entertainment capital of the world, its only natural that they look for phenomenal performances.

The mesmerizing artistry of a Kà by Cirque du Soleil show, makes the Aquarian feel like they’re having a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and they love it. Aquarians are into otherworldly sights and experiences and prefer the extraordinary to the ordinary.

Those born under the sign of the Water-bearer love the theatrical, breath-taking approach of the Cirque du Soleil.”

Pisces (February 19 – March 20)

Last but not least: Pisces! How does this flowy zodiac sign plan to spend its time in Vegas according to Inbaal? 

“Pisces is the water sign that enjoys love in all its forms. You can guess where this is heading. 

Since they’re so naturally romantic, they’ll make a point to visit the Little White Wedding Chapel, just to be in the presence of all those historic celebrity vows. Pisces lets their heart run the show, so they can’t resist the lure of the nuptials. Those born under the sign of the Fish love to be in love, and are unlikely to leave Vegas single.”

And in case you’re wondering…it’s probably a Gemini standing next to them at the end of the aisle.

Star Sign Summary

Is your zodiac sign going to win zilch or hit the jackpot? Inbaal predicted wedding bells, big wins, and more – promising a fun, diverse Vegas trip for the next time you and your friends decide to go for a visit! Just be wary of your Scorpio friends or you might end up being thrown into the Mandalay Bay pool! 

About the Guest Astrologist

Inbaal Honigman is a previous resident astrologer for Elle Magazine, Inbaal has given readings for many A-list celebrities. She’s known for making accurate predictions for Price Harry & Meghan Markle, The Premier League outcomes, and more.  

Fair Use    

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.    

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

But what internet behavior isn’t very demure or mindful?  In a world of content overload, we wanted to decipher the cringe from the cool and, of course, determine the most ick-inducing social media users in the US. Following a study of 3,000 Americans, we asked about social media behavior, posts, trends, etc. that they deemed “cringe.”  

Key Findings:?

• Iowa ranked as the #1 most “cringe-worthy” social media users by 69% 

• Los Angeles named cringiest social media capital of the US 

• Americans agree that captioning cliche quotes is the most cringe social media behavior 

The cringiest social media users live in… 

According to a 2023 Statista report, the US has the most influencers globally at over 58 million. Such influence comes with its fair share of ick, of course. Another study finds that 54% of Gen Z Americans want to be social media influencers. So, as the youth (and not so youth) try to make it into the influencer circle, which ones are posting the ick? One state stands out and it’s not what you’d expect. ?

Iowa ranked as the #1 most “cringe-worthy” social media users by 69%. Nationally, social media users agreed that lip-syncing songs on stories is the cringiest behavior of all, but 85% of Iowans think it’s fine. Perhaps that’s why the rest of the nation is giving Iowa the bombastic side-eye. ?

“The Live Free or Die” state also comes into focus. New Hampshire placed 2^nd for cringiest social media usage. So, what’re they posting about if not Ivy League schools and nature? 45% agreed with the nation that lip-syncing in stories is the cringiest thing you can do, but 67% of New Hampshirites participated in other cringe-inducing social media behavior like overly filtered photos and the oh-so-original #throwbackthursday pictures.  

Headed down the East Coast, you’ll find our third contender for cringe. Georgia may be as sweet as a peach, but it’s also as cringe as its Coca-Cola brag. Georgia ranked #3 most cringe-inducing social media usage, as 64% of its residents partake in ick-like Instagram behavior. Namely, outfits of the day (OOTD) and contest reshares that, chances are, they won’t win despite tagging all 400 of their followers.?

Where do the “cool kids” of social media reside?  

Not everything online must be an eye roll.  Some users have mastered the art of entertaining the internet and they tend to live closer together it turns out. New Mexico ranked #1 for least cringe social media usage. They got the memo that gym selfies and captioning your post “Adventure awaits” is something we can leave offline as only 25% of New Mexicans participate in cringe social media behavior.  

D.C. comes in second place for its cool social media presence. Many DC residents dreamed of working on The Hill since they were in grade school, so they knew better than to post their personal lives online. Our nagging parents once told us “Everything you post online is permanent” and DC kids took that to heart. Their clean social media rap sheet helps them to earn the 2^nd spot of non-cringe social media usage. ?

This next state puts the Cajun in cool. Louisiana ranked #3 coolest social media users in the US. Think of them as the cooler older sibling to the Florida Man and you’ll understand why they rank so high. With only 35% of its users partaking in the typical cringe behavior, we can understand why they earn their cool card. 

Cities with the cringiest social media posters 

What about the social hubs of the US? With cocktail bars and photo ops abound in the more metropolitan areas, we wanted to know the cities with the cringiest social media usage.  

Movie stars and Nepo babies are no match for LA’s cringiest social media users. Coming out as the #1 most ick-inducing city for social media usage, Los Angeles takes the cringe cake. Where the top trending Twitter hashtags for the rest of the country right now are the Democratic National Convention and Joe Biden, LA is focusing on the more important stuff like #loveislandusa and #fullmooninaquarius. Maybe it’s best you keep your Erewhon haul videos to yourselves, LA.  

2nd place goes to Seattle, Washington where 78% of its social media posters participated in “cringe behavior.” The pinnacle (or should we say Pike-acle) of “basic Instagram girl” – Seattle is Starbucks’ birthplace which could clue into why it earned second place.  

Nicknamed the “Music City”, Nashville takes 3^rd place as most cringiest city on social media. 75% of its residents aren’t shy to lip-syncing on stories (hey, they’re just trying to make their big break!) or posting overused Dolly quotes like, “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”  

Special mentions go to the other cringe-worthy cities on the list: ?

4. New York City – 69% 

5. Orlando – 67% 

6. Salt Lake City – 66% 

7. Tucson – 65% 

8. Atlanta – 64% 

9. Tampa – 60% 

10. Dallas 58% 

National trends we find “cringe”  

Now that we’ve roasted half the United States, let’s talk about cringe at the national level. There are some things we all agree are “ew, why” and some that are passable. Here’s the ranking list of most to least cringe things on social media according to Americans: 

1. Captioning cliche quotes like “good vibes only”  

2. Lip-syncing to songs in their stories 

3. Overly filtered or photoshopped pictures 

4. Recreating TikTok dances 

5. Themed day posts like #motivationmonday or #throwbackthursday 

6. Gym selfies 

7. Get Ready With Me (GRWM) videos 

8. People who reshare contests 

9. Boomerangs 

10. Outfit of the Day (OOTD) posts 

That’s not to say you can’t post “If he’s stupid enough to walk away, be smart enough to let him” after your break-up, just know it might be a little…cringe for your followers. As for your snazzy new ‘fit? OOTD your heart out!  

Don’t do this cringe-inducing trend while traveling 

When do we post the most on social media? Vacation of course! It’s hard to resist a humble brag about your all-inclusive Cancun vacation or a selfie during your European summer tour, but some travel posts are better in the drafts than on the feed. In ranking order, here are the most to least cringey things you can post while traveling: 

1. “Catch flights, not feelings” in the caption – 30% 

2. Posting a picture of just their legs at a pool/beach – 21% 

3. “How’s your Monday going” or “Beats a day in the office” – 20%?

4. Posting a picture of their passport on the plane/airport – 15% 

5. “Mentally I’m here” posts after their vacation – 14% 

We know it’s tempting to show your ex just how fine you are by posting your “catch flights, not feelings” selfie, but it’s probably better if you don’t. “Mentally I’m here” ranked as the least cringe, but physically you’re not, so your followers probably don’t want to hear about it. 

What is Brat? The jury is still out?

Brat summer to the internet by storm. But what is brat? We took to the masses to ask them to define “brat” and here’s what the US thinks brat is:  

1. Poor behavior, acting out – 61% 

2. Internet slang for “cool” – 18% 

3. A type of doll – 12% 

4. Brat diet: Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Toast – 5% 

The remaining 5% consisted of Kamala Harris, a sexual innuendo, or bratwurst. Some Americans associate it with Charlie XCX, and some think it’s a sausage – what a concept! 

Summary 

Just remember it used to be cool to “poke” people on Facebook and now the thought of it would make your stomach turn, so be who you are and post what you feel because it’s just the internet! Americans come together to agree on the most and least cringe social media behaviors, but if you and your friends “lol” and “lmao” at what you post then you should just throw caution and cringe to the wind.  

Methodology   

In August 2024, we surveyed 3,000 U.S. residents about their social media habits and what they deemed the most “cringe”. The representative sample comprised of 53.2% female, 45% male, >2% non-binary, transgender, and/or other. 

Fair Use    

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.    

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org 

We have collected data from the top-performing stars over the last three Premier League seasons to determine which football players are most ruthless on the pitch. To accompany this, we have also ranked the league’s biggest hot-heads and the most iconic football celebrations over the years.

If you are seeking a thrill off the pitch, our service allows you to browse some of the UK’s best online casino sites.

The coldest Premier League football players

1. Cole Palmer – 8.67/10

Cole Palmer was nicknamed “Cold Palmer” last year due to his ability to perform in big moments for club and country. Despite being young and inexperienced, Palmer cemented himself as Chelsea’s star man after signing for the club last summer.

As last season was Palmer’s first full year as a first-team regular, he has scored fewer goals than many others in this list in the past three seasons, but he scores when it counts the most, evidenced by his 32% match-winning goal statistic. Another factor that ratifies the “Cold Palmer” moniker is his incredible record from the penalty spot. His first goal for Chelsea was a penalty, and since then, he has cemented himself as the club’s go-to penalty taker with a 100% record from twelve yards.

2. Darwin Nú?ez – 8.56/10

Perhaps a surprising inclusion near the top of this list is Liverpool’s Uruguayan striker Darwin Nú?ez, who has a reputation for missing big chances and underperforming. This reputation may well be undeserved, according to the data.

Nú?ez’s shot conversion rate is poor compared to other high-profile strikers (13%), but he converts chances when it matters. This is evidenced by the fact that 40% of all the goals he has scored in the league have been match-winning, and 15% of all his goals have been scored in stoppage time.

3. Erling Haaland – 7.67/10

If you have recently followed the Premier League, you have likely heard of Erling Haaland. Although he has only played in the Premier League since 2022, he is already regarded as one of the greatest goalscorers the league has ever seen.

Of the factors contributing to Haaland’s 7.89 /10 overall score, he has an average shot conversion rate of 31% and an average goal every 85 minutes, both of which are the best scores of our top three entries in their respective categories.

The coldest Premier League footballers for…

Average minutes per goal

Erling Haaland – 85 minutes

After being revealed as having the biggest goal total over the last three Premier League seasons, it may come as no surprise that Erling Haaland features here, too. Haaland puts a goal away every 85 minutes on average, which equates to around one per game.

Average minutes per assist

Kevin De Bruyne – 172 minutes

Kevin De Bruyne has scored many goals in his career, but he is better known for setting up his teammates. The Manchester City attacking midfielder’s selflessness, passing ability, and vision, paired with his talented goal-scoring teammates, have resulted in De Bruyne earning an assist once every 172 minutes.

Match winning goals

Alexis Mac Allister – 45% of all goals scored

Alexis Mac Allister may not be the top goalscorer, but he puts them in the back of the net when it counts, evidenced by his nine match-winning goals, accounting for 45% of his goals across the last three Premier League seasons.

Of his match-winning goals, Liverpool fans will look back fondly on the central midfielder’s rocket of a shot, which saw the Reds take the lead over Sheffield United earlier this year and contributed to a 3-1 win which saw them temporarily retain their position at the top of the table.

Stoppage-time goals

Yoane Wissa – 15% of all goals scored

Stoppage-time goals can often be the difference between points or no points, and Yoane Wissa has a better record than most. The French left-winger has scored 26 goals across the last three Premier League seasons, and more than 15% of these have come during the added injury time at the end of matches.

Shot conversion rate

Alexander Isak – 32%

Since moving to English football’s top division in 2022, Alexander Isak has made a considerable impact at his current club, Newcastle United. He scored 21 goals in the last Premier League season alone. Isak’s shot conversion rate has stayed consistently high in the previous two seasons, averaging 32%.

Penalty conversion rate

Callum Wilson and Cole Palmer – 100%

Newcastle striker Callum Wilson and Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer are two players in our study who have taken over five penalties and scored 100% in the past three seasons. Neither of them has missed from twelve yards.

Palmer’s penalty kicks came in the latest season when he converted an incredible nine from nine spot kicks. Meanwhile, injury-prone forward Wilson has taken seven, spread over each season, and converted all of them.

The biggest Premier League hotheads

The coldest players in the Premier League are those that you can rely on to ice a big moment, delivering big for their team in attack to help them win matches. Defending is equally vital in football as most of the best sides have built success on the back of good defence and winning the ball.

However, when trying to win the ball back, sometimes mistakes happen, resulting in fouls and the possibility of further punishment from the referee. Some players are more prone to a hot head, playing recklessly, clumsily and sometimes aggressively in the attempt to win the ball or change momentum for their team. Some players may even see red metaphorically and physically in the form of a red card being shown to them, resulting in a send-off.

By studying data on players’ fouls, yellow cards and red cards, we have determined who some of the hottest-headed players in the Premier League have been in recent seasons.

1. Mason Holgate – 8.49/10

Defender Mason Holgate is the hottest-headed player to have played in the Premier League in recent years. The Yorkshire-born defender made his debut for Everton in 2016 whilst still a teenager, and he has gone on to make 136 Premier League appearances for both the Toffees and, more recently, Sheffield United.

Holgate is one of just three players to have received three red cards in the past three seasons. This means he averages a send-off every 1,119 minutes of football played. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp described his most recent send-off as “one of the worst tackles I have seen in years,” and it was widely regarded as a moment of madness from Holgate. On top of this, he has a pursuant for yellow cards, as he gets one nearly every 224 minutes on average.

2. Oliver McBurnie – 7.78/10

Sheffield United were described as being one of the worst Premier League teams in history when they finished bottom last season. They conceded the most goals any team has ever managed, which was not helped by very poor discipline and multiple send-offs for their players.

Striker Oliver McBurnie was one of these hot-headed players who contributed. The striker is known as a handful for opposition defenders, but he is also no stranger to yellow cards. Amazingly, he received one every 183 minutes on average, and almost 40% of all his fouls resulted in a booking.

3. Junior Firpo – 7.68/10

Leeds United left-back Junior Firpo was the first Dominican player to play in the Premier League when he signed from Barcelona in 2021. Unfortunately, during his two-year stint in the League before relegation to the Championship, Firpo was known as one of the league’s hot-headed players.

Firpo gave away a foul every 51 minutes on average, and almost 30% of his fouls resulted in a yellow card being shown. The cherry on top of the cake for Firpo came with a straight red card against Newcastle in a must-win game for his side to avoid relegation, and earlier in the same match he gave away a penalty from which his team conceded.

The most hot-headed Premier League footballers for…

Average minutes per foul

Wataru Endo – 37 minutes

Having joined Liverpool from VfB Stuttgart in 2023, Wataru Endo is already one of the most hot-headed players on the pitch. He has played 1,722 minutes so far and has clocked up 47 fouls—this is an average of just 37 minutes per foul.

Average minutes per yellow card

Junior Firpo – 171 minutes

A Leeds player since 2021, Junior Firpo knows something about high-pressure situations. However, he does tend to push some plays too far, with 18 yellow cards over the two seasons his team were in the Premier League. With 3,081 minutes to his name during that time, this translates into one yellow card every 171 minutes played.

Average minutes per red card

Oliver McBurnie – 642 minutes

It’s no surprise that McBurnie was the second most hot-headed player in the Premier League, given his red card record — he received one every 642 minutes he played, on average. However, all red cards resulted from a second yellow rather than straight reds.

The coldest football celebrations

1. Lionel Messi – 95,800 Google searches

Regarded by many as the greatest football player of all time, Lionel Messi needs no introduction. In 2017, the Argentinian centre-forward celebrated his 500th club goal for Barcelona, which also happened to be a stoppage-time winner in the El Classico fixture. The goal was made more iconic after Messi removed his shirt and showed his name and number to the opposition’s fans.

Despite taking place more than seven years ago, this celebration remains one of the most legendary in football history, with almost 96,000 Google searches in the last two years alone.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo – 30,260 Google searches

Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic ‘Siu’ celebration is next on our list, with more than 30,000 Google searches in the last two years. Translating from Spanish to ‘Yes’, the Siu has become Ronaldo’s trademark post-goal commemoration. Over the years, the popularity of this power stance has soared, with athletes such as Manel Kape and Odell Beckham Jr. having been spotted imitating CR7’s celebration.

3. ángel Di María – 26,650 Google searches

Completing our top three list of the coldest football celebrations, with 26,650 Google searches in the last two years, is ángel Di María’s ‘heart’. The Argentinian attacking midfielder has scored more than 170 goals across his career, including a short stint at Manchester United. After celebrating so many goals over the years, it is no surprise that Di María has developed a trademark move in which he shapes his hands into a heart shape.

Methodology

All data is accurate as of 06/08/2024.

Using Premier League statistics, we sourced the top 20 goalscorers of the past three seasons (2021/22 – 2023/24) and used this to create a seeding list of the league’s top goalscorers.

We used FootyStats and Transfermarkt to find the following data for each player for each of the last three seasons:

• Goals scored
• Total minutes played
• Total assists
• Match-winning goals
• +90 min goals
• Penalties taken
• Penalties scored and missed
• Shot conversion rate

We added the figures for each of the three seasons to provide each player with one three-year total for each factor.

We divided the total minutes played by the total goals scored to calculate each player’s minutes per goal. This calculation was also used to determine the minutes per assist.

We divided the number of match-winning goals by the total number of goals scored to calculate each player’s match-winning goal prevalence. This calculation was also used to determine the prevalence of stoppage time goals.

To calculate each player’s penalty accuracy, we divided the number of converted penalties by the total number of penalties.

We averaged each player’s shot conversion rate over the last three seasons to find the average shot conversion rate.

We used football-related factors (goals scored, minutes per goal, assists, minutes per assist, % of match-winning goals, % of stoppage time goals, penalty accuracy, and average shot conversion rate). We then normalised each factor out of 10 before taking an average of those scores to get our overall ‘cold football star score’.

The same process was repeated, this time using any player to have received multiple red cards over the past three seasons and the 20 players with the most yellow cards in each season between the 2021/22 – 2023/24 seasons. For this ranking, the following factors were used:

• The percentage of tackles that resulted in a foul (for some players, this may be more than 100%, as fouls can be given for incidents not resulting from a tackling action, such as handball).
• Average minutes per foul
• Percentage of fouls which resulted in a yellow card
• Average minutes per yellow card
• Total number of red cards
• Percentage of fouls that resulted in a red card
• Average minutes per red card
• Percentage of red cards that were a straight red card

We then normalised every factor and created a score out of ten for each player to determine their hot-headedness.

Finally, we used a series of listicles and online content to create a third seeding list of famous football player celebrations. We used a range of search terms relating to each football celebration and Google Ads Keyword Planner to find the total number of global Google searches for each celebration between June 2022 and May 2024.

The Premier League is big business. It was reported that clubs will make almost 6.4 billion in revenue this season. It is not just the clubs that rely on this cash-generating behemoth for revenue, as the size of the Premier League helps support local hospitality businesses, clothing giants, broadcasters, online casinos, and bookmakers, to name but a few.

In the 21st century, matchday revenue is a comparatively small chunk of the cash generated by Premier League clubs, but it is still a massive money-making venture, and clubs know that thousands of fans are desperate to see their favourite players perform in person.

As a result, the cost of attending matches and purchasing merchandise and refreshments at games can be quite an expense. But which clubs are the most affordable, and which are the most expensive? By delving deep into the data around the costs of supporting each PL team, we can reveal the answer and which clubs have given the most back to fans who have purchased season tickets in recent years.

The most affordable teams to be a fan of

1. Everton
Football affordability score of 7.64/10

Everton are the most affordable Premier League football club to support overall. The Merseyside club are entering what could be their final season at Goodison Park, their home for 131 years, as a new stadium is nearing completion.

Currently, the average one-match resale ticket price is the lowest in the division at ￡120. It is also one of the cheaper grounds for a beer and a pie, as it ranks in the top five most affordable for each of these categories.

2. Wolves
Football affordability score of 7.45/10

Wolverhampton Wanderers (more commonly known as Wolves) are the second most affordable Premier League team to be a fan of. Since they were last promoted in 2018, they have established themselves as solid performers, helped along by a large swathe of talented players imported from Portugal, with the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, and Pedro Neto lighting up Molineux.

Although Wolves do not rank as the most affordable in any one category, they perform strongly across every category to achieve a high overall score. The price of a pie is the fourth lowest in the league, at just ￡4.

3. Wolves
Football affordability score of 7.15/10

It is one of the Premier League’s new teams for the new season that ranks third. It has been a long wait for Ipswich fans to return to the big time as they were last in the Premier League in the 2001/02 season and were in the third tier as recently as two years ago.

Under head coach Kieran McKenna, the Tractor Boys have achieved back-to-back promotions, and unsurprisingly, demand to see them is off the charts. Evidence of this comes in the high resale value of tickets. They are so rare that the average price of one match ticket (￡376) is more than the cheapest season ticket (￡372).

The most expensive teams to be a fan of

1. Arsenal
Football affordability score of 1.6/10

At the other end of the affordability spectrum is Arsenal. The Gunners are one of the country’s biggest and most successful teams, but unfortunately, for their fans, they are the most expensive team to support.

The cheapest season ticket at the Emirates Stadium costs over a thousand pounds (￡1,073, to be exact), and the average one-match ticket on resale is ￡249. If you want to drink away your financial worries during the match, you will also be disappointed, as a beer at the stadium costs ￡6.35.

2. Chelsea
Football affordability score of 2.25/10

Chelsea is the second most expensive football club to be a fan of in the Premier League. The West London club has been one of the most successful in the Premier League era, but it has struggled for form in recent seasons following a takeover and a revolving door of underperforming players and managers.

Unfortunately, for fans of The Blues, this underwhelming football experience comes at a high price, as the cheapest season ticket at Stamford Bridge is ￡810. Luckily, pie eating at football is more associated with northern clubs, as buying one at Chelsea costs ￡5.30. In fact, if you ate one pie at every home game, you would spend over ￡100 in a season.

3. Tottenham
Football affordability score of 3.37/10

Tottenham makes it a hat trick of London clubs at the top of the most expensive rankings, perhaps unsurprisingly, given the capital city’s general expensiveness compared to the rest of the country.

Spurs have the most expensive replica kit, it costs ￡148 for the home kit for this season. On top of this, they have the second most expensive season tickets after Arsenal, as the cheapest ones will cost you ￡856.

Teams where you get the biggest return on investment with a season ticket

1. Manchester City
Value for season ticket score of 9.68/10

Manchester City have been the most successful English team during the 2020s by a mile, becoming the first team to win four league titles in a row. During that time, legendary manager Pep Guardiola played a great style of football, while their state-backed ownership allowed them to purchase some of the best players in the world.

The cheapest season ticket at Manchester City is ￡425, and for that, fans have seen an average of 15 wins at home and 54 goals (the highest in the league for both factors) in the last season. This means it costs City season ticket holders just ￡28.72 per win and ￡7.90 per goal scored.

2. Leicester City
Value for season ticket score of 7.58/10

Leicester have just been promoted to the Premier League as champions of the Championship during their one season in the second tier. Less than a decade ago, The Foxes won the Premier League title in extraordinary circumstances as they were 5,000-1 outsiders to achieve such a feat.

Despite not reaching these heights again, Leicester fans have received good value for their season tickets in the past five seasons. Despite dropping down to the Championship, their average league position is still 11th, and they have averaged 35 goals a season, which means it costs season ticket holders ￡11.68 per goal.

3. Ipswich Town
Value for season ticket score of 7.37/10

Another club where season ticket holders have got a lot for their money in recent seasons is the Ipswich faithful. Despite spending much of the past half-decade in the third tier, large crowds have still flocked to Portman Road to watch their team play.

Averaging 41 home goals scored per season means that it costs Ipswich season ticket holders just ￡9.07 per goal scored and just ￡30.49 per win. Despite ranking second in both these categories, Ipswich’s average League position for the past five seasons is 46th (first in League 1), which drops them down the rankings.?

Teams where you get the smallest return on investment with a season ticket

1. Bournemouth
Value for season ticket score of 2.63/10

Bournemouth’s stadium is pitifully small compared to other Premier League teams but it is often full to bursting as the Cherries enjoy some of the most successful times in their history. The South Coast team rose through the divisions in the 2010s as a result of large financial investment, brilliantly spun as a feel-good story and a true footballing fairytale.

Bournemouth’s average league position in the past five years has been 19th, making them a bit of a yo-yo club. A reason for this is perhaps the number of goals conceded at home, 26 on average, made worse when you exclude the two seasons they spent in the Championship.

2. Brighton
Value for season ticket score of 3.37/10

Brighton and Hove Albion are another team that does not reward season ticket holders much for their purchases. Despite having some success in recent seasons, a lot of it has been built on away form, as they have averaged the lowest number of home wins (eight) in the past five years. As a result of this and the cheapest season ticket price of ￡595, Brighton fans need to pay ￡92.97 per goal, the most in the league.

2. Everton
Value for season ticket score of 3.37/10

Despite being the most affordable team to be a fan of overall, Everton ranks joint second for the lowest return on investment for season ticket holders. Everton have scored just 23 goals at home on average over the past five seasons, meaning it costs almost ￡25 a goal for those with the cheapest season tickets at Goodison.

This fact is perhaps unsurprising, as scoring goals were a big problem for Everton last season. Despite creating the 11th most expected goals in the league last year, they actually scored 20 fewer in reality and ranked 19th for goals scored with just 40.

Methodology

• The cheapest adult season ticket prices for each club were sourced from GiveMeSport.
• The average resale ticket price was sourced from SeatPick, the price for all 38 of each club’s matches was recorded, and the mean average price was calculated.
• The price of kits was sourced from each club’s official online store, and we calculated the price of a full adult male kit for the new season.
• The price of a beer and the price of a pie were sourced from Away Games.
• We combined these factors and created an overall affordability score out of 10 for each team.
• For the return on season ticket investment section, we used data from transfermarkt.?
• We recorded each club’s finishing position over the past five seasons and then took an average of these positions.
• We recorded the total number of home wins, home goals scored, and home goals conceded in the past five seasons and took an average.
• The season ticket cost was divided by the average values to find the average price per home win and goal scored.
• We also recorded the number of goals conceded at home, with the lowest value being the best.

Fair use 

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.  

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org?

While next year, the WWE is set to return to Las Vegas for the first time in over 30 years, something our own Vital Vegas’ Scott Roeben was the first person to predict, recent news has gotten international WWE fans excited about a potential first-time London WrestleMania in the near future, with WWE’s Triple H meeting with mayor of London Sadiq Khan to discuss the possibility.

But the entertainment giant isn’t the only game in town. Rival wrestling company All Elite Wrestling (AEW) will make its own return to Wembley Stadium later this month for ALL IN, the company’s second major UK event, following a sell-out in 2023.

Ahead of the event, Casino.org sat down with former WWE and TNA Tag Team Champion Mark Andrews, the first Welshman to ever hold WWE gold, to get the lowdown on wrestling in the UK, WWE’s international expansion, NXT UK being the best thing for British wrestling, and whether the WWE is playing catch-up with Tony Khan’s AEW.

You can listen to the full interview hosted by Sean Thorne above or check out some of the highlights below.

On WrestleMania London being a Direct Reaction to ALL IN and WWE ‘missing the boat’ in the UK

Do you think AEW have paved the way here for the WWE to look at London as a place to hold big events and look into stadium shows?

“100% I mean, let’s look at the history books, right? I think it’s kind of pretty proven from the last well, 10 years, the WWE definitely, sometimes misses the boat, and then last minute, reacts a little bit, you know what I mean?

“That’s not me kind of trying to insult the company, because they’re, they’re the biggest company in the wrestling world, right? And I think sometimes that they probably have so many plates spinning, they miss things.

“In my opinion, I’m surprised how long it’s taken up to get to this because, AEW, they sold out Wembley last year at ALL IN. And it’s only now, after the second ALL IN is happening in Wembley that the rumours are coming around about potentially having WrestleMania in London.

“Fans have been wanting it for years, especially in London. So yeah, it feels crazy to me that it’s kind of taken this long, if I’m honest, but I definitely think it’s a direct reaction to how well AEW is doing in the UK.

On NXT UK being a reaction to World of Sport

“From my experience with NXT UK, before it was even called NXT UK, when it was WWE, UK, that first tournament came around in the space of two months. They got that together, literally, from like, the October to the January, and that was only really a reaction to the World Of Sport being announced on ITV.”

On helping WWE work with the Welsh Government for Clash At The Castle before being released?

Now, WWE has already dabbled in stadium shows, with Clash At The Castle with Cardiff, and you were involved a little bit with schmoozing Welsh ambassadors during the build-up to that show. Am I right thinking that?

“Potentially a very small amount, or not, I have no idea, really! But there was a Cardiff house show. I can’t remember if it was RAW or Smackdown when I was, working at the company. And I remember I was invited backstage to speak to some of the Welsh Government, before they had, you know, fully confirmed Clash At The Castle.

“What I did lend a hand with was being able to actually give real life experience from Wales, so I could kind of name drop where all of these wrestlers had come from. You know, how Tegan Nox was from Brynmawr and how there were a group of wrestlers from Ebw Vale, and we started training in Cathays Community Centre. Those real life facts that involve Wales, which I don’t think anyone else in the WWE, especially not in main roster, would be able to give that kind of,  quick rundown of the history of wrestling in Wales.  So I hope it helped anyway. I really do hope that’s what helped get it through the through the door”

On originally being slated for a Clash at the Castle match before NXT UK stars being released weeks before the event

It got the event through the door, and then they just sacked all the Welsh talent just before the show. Anyway….

“That wasn’t great, you know, that was a shame. It’s funny, like, but like, two days before Clash At The Castle was my wedding day, and we officially got married that morning in the city centre, and I could see the stadium from where we got married.

“I’d heard rumblings from backstage that my name was penciled in for a dark match. I had loads of big plans with BBC leading up to the event, not only my podcast, but on top of that, there were talks about doing stuff on TV, and then two weeks before, or whatever it was, 40 of the British talent and all Welsh talents got released, which was so crazy.

“But it goes back to my point a minute ago about I think sometimes there’s so many moving parts and spinning plates that they kind of just missed the boat. Like, did they realize they’d sacked all Welsh talent, like, when it happened, or did after it happened, did they go, Oh, actually, we just got rid of all of our Welsh talent and we’re about to do the biggest show that’s ever happened in Wales in the UK  you know?”

On NXT UK being the best thing for the British Independent Wrestling Scene

A common thing that people say is that NXT UK came along and decimated the indie scene. Is that something you agree with?

“No, not at all. It like, I know that’s what fans like to believe. It’s really easy to believe. Okay, these UK indie shows are selling out up and down the country. The scenes on fire. But me, personally, I know for a lot of the top wrestlers in the UK around that time that there wasn’t enough money to be made for many of the top tier talent to make a full time living from wrestling.

“So unless a massive company did come along, whether it was WWE, whether it was a New Japan or an AEW or even a non-wrestling company like a Netflix or, you know, some big TV corporation. Because I know fans like to believe that, like, it could have just existed as it was and gone on forever, but like, there’s only so long you can kind of put that damage on your body with no promise of, like, real earnings. And I’m not trying to say that it’s about the money, because it’s not that. But like, when you’re an indie wrestler and you get hurt, there’s not this magical insurance that pays out loads of money. Do you know what I mean?

“It’s a really hard job to be consistently good at and get consistently paid. So I just think that. I feel like the fans have this kind of romanticized idea that the scene could have continued as it was without WWE getting involved. I think the best thing for the scene was WWE getting involved.

On the UK scene being just as strong now

“I think the scene now is actually just as strong as it was, like you just got to give those new talent at chance,  and it comes in waves, it does. There’s going to be times when every venue is being sold out, and then times where it’s actually quite hard to sell out, but the stars are still there.

“Just give it a year or two look at guys like, Michael Oku who right now is a top, top talent in the UK, a top talent in the world. Unfortunately, not all the shows in the UK are selling out, but it doesn’t mean he’s any less of a star. So and another example, just to end on, let’s look at ALL IN weekend coming up soon. How many shows are being sold out that weekend? How many shows are happening in the UK? How many eyes are going to be on British wrestlers that weekend? And I think that kind of proves my point, that I don’t think the scenes changed as much as people much as people think it has.”

On a TNA British Bootcamp revival – who Mark would pick

We’re seeing NXT having a working relationship with TNA. Obviously, you’ve got, you’ve got a rich history with TNA, as one of the first winners of the British Boot Camp, if they brought back British Boot Camp now, who are some of the people you think could thrive from a show like that on the British scene?

“Ahh. It’s funny. The first thing I was gonna say was Leon Slater, but he’s already signed there. He’s already there. You know, there’s a guy in Wales called Leon cage. He was 17 years old. And for 17 years old, this kid is, is pretty much got it all, you know, don’t get me wrong, he’s not the finished product yet. But in a British Boot Camp like scenario, you kind of don’t want the finished product.”

“Then there’s guys who are just overdue their big shot for so long, like Robbie X. I think Robbie X is someone who’s just, you know, he has been on top of his game for so long now, and it’s just insane how big a company hasn’t picked him up yet. So someone like him, I’d want to see do something like British boot camp and win it and go win the X Division Championship. On top of that, I some other names who I think would just absolutely smash it, like KANJI, Emersyn, Jayne Rayne Leverkusen, three of the best wrestlers in the UK. All, all again, kind of overdue, a big opportunity as well. So there’s five names for you, right?”

“With the British scene as it is at the moment, as we see with ALL IN weekend, there’s shows happening all weekend. Lot of them sold out. I think seeing a British boot camp return, I think that would be, that would be exciting and interesting. “

On UK wrestler Pete Dunne’s WWE run as Butch & being one of the best wrestlers in the world alongside Omega and Ospreay

Another, another one of the key parts of NXTUK, obviously, Pete Dunne, the long reigning UK champ, then having where he had his spell as Butch and now back as the Bruiserweight. With a lot of fans, look at that is kind of a misstep in his career. What were your thoughts on the on the spell of Butch?

“It’s so hard, right? I mean, at the time, I remember chatting with him, and, I felt as unsure as he did. I think it’s fair to say, because everyone, at first, hates a name change, right? Everyone, everyone says, Oh, it’s a terrible name. If you look at Gunther, for example, that’s been a huge success, but at the time, everyone hated it.

“I think it was a risk that Pete had to take because it got him on main roster, you know, and Wrestlemania, right So I think it’s a risk that he, 100% had to take. However, I definitely think the company didn’t do what they could have done with him. I mean, even, hey, I don’t think the Butch character is bad by any shout, and I think Pete smashed it. However,  as a wrestler, you can do so much more with him. So unless you’re going to commit to that gimmick and really give it the opportunities it deserves, it doesn’t matter. He’s called Pete Dunne or Butch, whichever way around you got to give him the spot that he deserves.

“Because, to be honest, he should be in the argument for best wrestler in the world. And the only reason he isn’t is because he’s not put booked in those positions. You know, people throw out your Ospreays and your Kenny Omegas Randy Orton and your Roman Reigns and your Cody Rhodes, Pete Dunne, in my opinion, should be in that category, like he is 100% one of the best wrestlers in the world. He’s just not booked as it.

“So I am glad to see that now he’s kind of past that gimmick, and hopefully get the opportunities he deserves, because he’s a wrestler’s wrestler, and everyone backstage knows it how good he is. So hopefully he has a chance now to show the fans as well.”

On Joe Hendry’s success and being annoyed by “I Believe in Joe Hendry”

Another wrestler from the British scene who’s making a lot of bars at the moment is Joe Hendry. What do you think is one of the keys of Joe Hendry’s current success?

“I feel like it takes 10 years of hard work to become an overnight success. And that’s the perfect saying to Joe Hendry, because it’s not like this guy has only just released his entrance music and only just got on over. He’s been ploughing away at this for years and years and years, doing a very similar shtick, but getting better and better at it as he goes along.

“With Joe, it’s just been a matter of time. He’s a very, very funny man. He’s very clued up with wrestling, and I think he knows what his place is in wrestling as well. I don’t think he’s there necessarily to steal the show in the 16 minute epic Ironman match, or even to necessarily be the main event, but he’s there to entertain everyone, and he does a hell of a job doing it. And he’s so good with his branding and his consistency and a like, at times I’ve been annoyed waking up in the morning with his song stuck in my head, “Like, why is it there?”, persuading myself it’s not even a good song. It’s not even a good song! And then, you know, I just start singing it. I’m like, Ah, that is pretty catchy, you know. So I think he’s absolutely smashed it, to be honest.

“I think Joe someone who he has something which 99% of the rest of wrestling doesn’t have, you know, and a lot of a lot of people should aspire to be more like him in a lot of ways, or at least how he handles his character and his business in pro wrestling. He’s a very smart man.”

You can keep up-to-date with the latest WWE news and odds with Casino.org here.

Featured image credit: The official WWE website

From controversial penalties to game-changing sendoffs, we highlight the officials who have earned a reputation for strict rule enforcement and unforgiving decision-making. Although each league has strict rules, which has the most ruthless refereeing?

Taking a closer look at the referees in the 2023-24 season across the top five football leagues in Europe, we unveil the most ruthless of them all, considering how many fouls, penalties, red cards, and more they’ve dished out during the season.

The most ruthless referees in the Premier League

1. David Coote
Ruthless score: 7.13/10

David Coote is the most ruthless Premier League referee, scoring 7.13 out of 10. Starting his career as a 16-year-old in leagues such as the Northern Premier League, Coote now officiates primarily in the Premier League.

Having made 16 game appearances in the 2023-24 season, Coote awarded approximately 24.7 fouls and gave players 5.19 yellow cards per game, the highest among any other referee last season.

2. Michael Salisbury
Ruthless score: 7.13/10

The English professional football referee Michael Salisbury is in joint first place, scoring 7.13 out of 10. Salisbury was promoted to the Premier League during the 2021–22 season and made a name for himself in the famous sporting event.

Having made 14 game appearances in the 2023-24 season, Salisbury not only gave the highest number of penalties per game (0.71) but also had the third-highest number of fouls awarded per game (23.8) and fouls per tackle (0.68). Salisbury also had a lower home win percentage of over two-fifths (42.9%) compared to the league average (46.3%); therefore, it’s no surprise he is at the top of the list.

3. Thomas Bramall
Ruthless score: 6.85/10

In third place is Thomas Bramall, scoring 6.85 out of 10. Born in Sheffield, Bramall first worked as a PE teacher before his role in England’s most prestigious football league.

With 11 game appearances last season, Bramail made quite the impression after handing out an average of 0.27 red cards per game, the highest in the season. He also had the second-highest number of fouls (24.6) and yellow cards (4.91) per game, following just behind David Coote.

The least ruthless referees in the Premier League

1. Samuel Barrott
Ruthless score: 1.67/10

Samuel Barrott is the least ruthless referee in the Premier League, with a ruthless score of just 1.67 out of 10. In his 15 appearances last season, Barrott handed out the fewest fouls (20.1) and yellow cards (3.13) per game.

The English football referee had the second-lowest average for red cards per game, with just 0.07. He is also in the top five for referees with the highest home win percentage of over half (53.3%), making him the least ruthless referee of the 2023-24 Premier League season.

2. Andy Madley
Ruthless score: 3.24/10

Among those with the most game appearances (23) in the last Premier League season, Andy Madley ranks second as one of the nicest referees, scoring 3.24 out of 10. Beginning his career in local Wakefield leagues, the Huddersfield-born football referee has dramatically advanced in his role over the last decade.

Madley issued the fewest penalties per game (0.04). He is also in the top five for handing out the fewest yellow cards (3.78) and red cards (0.09) per game on average.

3. Stuart Attwell
Ruthless score: 3.71/10

Making his prominent debut almost two decades ago as the youngest-ever referee in the Premier League, Stuart Attewell completes the top three list of nicest referees of the 2023-24 season with a score of 3.71 out of 10. With a lifelong ambition for refereeing, Attwell worked his way up from leagues such as the West Midlands League and the Football League.

The professional football referee made 17 game appearances last season and has the second-lowest fouls (20.7) and red cards (0.24) issued. Attwell is also in the top five with one of the fewest fouls per tackle (0.58) and penalties per game (0.18).

The most ruthless referees in Europe

1. Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos, Spain
Ruthless score: 8.37/10

Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos was the most ruthless referee in Europe last season, scoring 8.37 out of 10. With 18 game appearances in the league, the professional football referee handed out the second-highest fouls per tackle (0.91).

Not only is the professional La Liga referee in the top three for handing out one of the highest number of fouls per game (28.1) among nearly 100 referees in Europe, but he is also in the top 10 with one of the highest number of yellow cards per game (5.22). The Spanish referee had one of the lowest home win percentages of over a quarter (27.8%).

2. Simone Sozza, Italy
Ruthless score: 7.75/10

Italian football referee Simone Sozza is second with a score of 7.75 out of 10. In just his 11 game appearances of the 2023-24 season, Sozza handed out an average of 26.4 fouls per game and an average of 0.98 fouls per tackle – the highest among any other referee across the five top European leagues.

The professional Serie A referee had the second-highest penalties per game (0.82) and a home-win percentage of over a third (36.4%), significantly lower than the overall average of almost half (48.2%).

3. Benjamin Brand, Germany
Ruthless score: 7.72/10

Based in Bamberg, German referee Benjamin Brand ranks third, scoring 7.72 out of 10. Brand debuted in Germany’s top football league, the Bundesliga, and made 14 game appearances in the 2023-24 season.

Brand is the referee with the most penalties, with 0.86 per game. He also has one of the highest red cards per game, gaining a top 10 position with an average of 0.36.

The least ruthless referees in Europe

1. Samuel Barrott, England
Ruthless score: 1.24/10

With the lowest score of 1.24 out of 10, Samuel Barrott is the nicest football referee in Europe for 2023-24. The West Riding-based official appeared in 15 games and is among the top three referees with the fewest fouls per game (20.1) and the top five for both penalties (0.20) and yellow cards (3.13) per game.

With a relatively high home win percentage of over half (53.3%), it’s no wonder Barrott grabs the top spot as the nicest referee.

2. Sven Jablonski, Germany
Ruthless score: 1.73/10

Based in Bremen, German referee Sven Jablonski ranks second among the least ruthless referees in Europe after scoring 1.73 out of 10. After 16 game appearances, Jablonski not only had the lowest number of fouls per game among all other referees (19.2) but is also in the top five with one of the fewest fouls per tackle (0.57) alongside fellow German referee Christian Dingert.

The professional football official is among the top 10 European referees who handed out one of the fewest yellow cards (3.38) and red cards (0.06) per game.

3. Robert Schr?der, Germany
Ruthless score: 1.92/10

Robert Schr?der is the third nicest referee in Europe, scoring 1.92 out of 10. Schr?der issued 0.63 fouls per tackle, 21.9 fouls, and 0.21 penalties per game on average across the 14 games he has appeared during the season.

The professional German referee also had one of the highest home win percentages, under two-thirds (57.1%), which is relatively higher than the overall average.

The league with the most ruthless referees

1. La Liga, Spain
Ruthless score: 7.08/10

La Liga had the most ruthless referees among the top five football leagues in Europe, scoring 7.08 out of 10. Not only did the Spanish football league have the highest average fouls per game (25.9), but it also had the highest number of yellow cards (4.61) and red cards (0.24) handouts compared to all other leagues.

The league with the least ruthless referees

1. Premier League, England
Ruthless score: 1.67/10

Scoring just 1.67 out of 10, the Premier League takes the top spot with the nicest referees in Europe. The renowned league had the highest home win percentage, with an average of less than half (46.3%), while also having the fewest fouls (22.2) and red cards (0.15) per game, as well as fouls per tackle (0.63).

Methodology

Using WhoScored.com, we gathered data on referees with 10 or more game appearances in the top five football leagues in Europe, looking specifically at the following factors:

• Fouls per game
• Fouls per tackle (1 d.p.)
• Penalties per game
• Home win percentage
• Yellow cards per game
• Red cards per game

Data for these factors were sourced for each league, including the Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Bundesliga (Germany), Ligue 1 (France), and Serie A (Italy), looking only at the 2023 to 2024 season.

We gave each referee a normalised score out of 10 for each factor. We calculated an average score out of 10 for each referee, revealing the most ruthless referees in each league and Europe.

To determine the European leagues with the most ruthless and nicest referees, we calculated the overall average for each factor in each league. Then, we gave each league a normalised score out of 10 for each average factor before calculating the average score out of 10 for each league.

Data collected for all sections was sourced on 19/07/2024.

Fair Use 

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.     

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org 

As New York Times’s Michelle Goldberg says, “We should all know less about each other.” Some things, like your feral weekend in Vegas, should deserve some privacy, right? Right. And what’s a threat without legal recourse? Empty, of course!?

We’ve put the best minds of our legal team together to bring you: the Official Vegas NDA Agreement. Vegas just got a whole lot more “Wild West” again. The agreement is quite simple and consists of some easy components to fill out with you and a friend(s). ?

Get your free copy of the Official Vegas NDA Agreement?

You’ll find an online copy for you and your friends to use here. It’s as official as a whistle, so you can enjoy Vegas in the most divey of fashions. ?

Who’s invited? Or better said, who is most likely to snitch?  

The NDA starts with the basics: what parties (no, not that kind of party) are included. You’ll have to cite your and your friends’ full names. Remember that the names you put down are the ones sworn to secrecy so be sure that everyone in the group signs!?

Confidential information  

Now for the important stuff. What is happening and staying in Vegas? The second part of the NDA asks that you anticipate the confidential information that must be kept. Know it’s going to be a boozy evening the night you have the VIP table booked at Liv? Get ahead of it and write it in the confidential information section.  

To give you an idea, the NDA goes on to say:

“reputational value in?relation to either Party, including, but not limited to, any Chippendale shows attended (including the number of shows attended), cocktail/beer/liquor consumption, gambling losses…”

Be sure to clearly detail all the foreseeable sins of Sin City. ?

The “girlfriend/boyfriend” version of Vegas 

Any good NDA comes with an even better cover story. We can’t just tell our loved ones that we sat in the hotel the whole time after all! The NDA Agreement has you covered there too, where the “Exclusions from Confidential Information” gives you the chance to edit your story a bit. 

“We went to Coyote Ugly and Chad spent $3,000 buying the whole bar a round of tequila shots”? No. “We went to the bar and tried a delightful new cocktail”? Yes.  

Governing Law: What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas 

The NDA details some other important information, like the Time Period (we recommend forever), Notice of Immunity, and other legal jargon: but the most important part may be the Governing Law. Remember that Vegas is the wild, wild west and things run a little differently around here. That said you and your buddies’ NDA is held up by the legal powers who be and the golden rule that whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. ?

If you want to “manifest destiny” and experience Vegas discreetly, download the Vegas NDA Agreement here. Remember that this is all in the name of good, clean fun and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. ?

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So, which cities have seen the biggest price increase over the last two years?

We’ve delved into the data to find out, looking at the prices of public transport, a round of drinks, the average price of a nightclub ticket, the average price of a McDonald’s meal, taxi fares and a weekend night in a hotel.

The cities with the biggest increase in the cost of a night out

The cost of a night out in the UK has shot up drastically over the past two years, rising from an average of ￡121 in 2022 to ￡146 this year, an increase of 20.4%. The biggest culprit for this price increase is hotels, with prices rising by nearly a quarter for a single weekend night’s stay. This is followed closely by the price of a late-night McDonald’s at 22%. But which cities are raising their prices the most?

1. Oxford
127.6% increase since 2022

Oxford has seen the highest overall increase in the cost of a night out, rising by a whopping ??127.6% since 2022. Prices in Oxford have risen drastically over the last two years, especially in the hospitality sector. Hotel prices rose by 160% thanks to the rising costs of operating in the industry, including higher labour costs due to a shortfall in staff numbers.

2. London
98.5% increase since 2022

The cost of living crisis has forced people to reconsider their finances, prioritising living expenses over a night out. In response, many businesses serving the nighttime economy have had to up their prices. London takes second place, with its cost of a night out nearly doubling since 2022. Hotel prices have seen the biggest increase in London of the factors we looked at, rising by 120%.

3. Dundee
51% increase since 2022

Third place is Dundee, where the cost of a night out has increased 51% over the last two years. The city’s nighttime economy has struggled with post-Brexit supply issues and reduced consumer spending power, forcing businesses to increase prices, such as the price of a McDonald’s meal rising by 21% since 2022.??

The cities with the smallest increase in the cost of a night out

1. Norwich
0.5% increase since 2022

Norwich has seen the lowest overall increase in the price of a night out, only rising by 0.5% since 2022. The city’s low population density means the cost of living hasn’t increased as much as other more populated areas, with taxi fares seeing the biggest price rise of 18% and hotel prices dropping by 3%.

2. Swindon
1.9% increase since 2022

Next up is Swindon, with only a 1.9% increase in total price. The city’s biggest price increase is the cost of a McDonald’s meal, which has risen by 18% over the last two years. Swindon’s economy has seen a low level of job creation over the last few years, and this lack of economic activity could explain the small increase.??

3. Wolverhampton
2.9% increase since 2022

Taking third place is Wolverhampton. The city suffers from high urban deprivation, which could explain why the total cost of a night out has only increased by 2.9% since 2022. The price of a pint has seen the biggest increase in Wolverhampton since 2022, rising by 32%.

The cities with the biggest decrease in the cost of a night out

1. Cardiff
26.5% decrease since 2022

Cardiff bucks the trend for the rising cost of a night out, with prices decreasing by 26.5% over the last two years. The cost of a hotel has seen the biggest decrease, dropping by 32%, followed by taxi fares at 9%.?

2. Newcastle upon Tyne
22.1% decrease since 2022

Newcastle is next up. The Toon takes second place, with a 22.1% decrease in the cost of a night out since 2022. Average hotel prices have dropped by nearly 30%, and public transport by 8%. The city famous for its trebles bars has only increased its pint prices by 13%, only slightly more than the UK average.??

3. Bournemouth
4.8% decrease since 2022

Bournemouth is in third place. Prices for a night out in the town on the South Coast have decreased across the board, with the biggest drop being taxi fares, which dropped 21%, and a one-way trip on public transport by 18%.??

The cheapest cities for a night out in 2024

1. Bradford
￡94 per night out

Bradford can be crowned the cheapest city for a night out, costing just ￡94 in total, ￡52 less than the UK average. The city has the lowest hotel prices for a weekend night at ￡67, a 3.1% increase since 2022. It’s also one of the cheapest cities for taxi fares, taking second place at ￡3.55 for a one-mile journey, a 13% decrease over the last two years.

2. Huddersfield
￡99 per night out

In second place is Huddersfield, where the cost of a night out stands at ￡99. This West Yorkshire town has the cheapest taxi fares, costing ￡2.87 for a mile-long trip, a drop of 18.5% since 2022. Huddersfield also has some of the lowest average alcohol prices, ranking third with three pints costing ￡10.05. It also costs ￡77 for a weekend night in a hotel in Huddersfield, making it the fifth cheapest city for the factor with only a 5.5% price increase since 2022.????

3. Milton Keynes
￡100 per night out

Rounding out the top three is Milton Keynes, where it costs ￡100 for a night out. The Buckinghamshire city ranks relatively well across the board, scoring in the top 20 for four of the five factors we looked at. Milton Keynes also has the third cheapest hotel prices, at ￡73 per weekend night, a 37.7% increase since 2022.

The most expensive cities for a night out in 2024

1. London
￡351 per night out

It comes as no surprise that the capital takes the top spot as the most expensive city for a night out. London has the highest prices for three factors we looked at, with an average McDonald’s meal costing ￡8, three pints setting you back ￡19.50, and a hotel stay costing ￡314,165.5% higher than the national average.

2. Oxford
￡303 per night out

Oxford is second, averaging ￡303 for a night out. The city has the second-highest hotel prices after London, at ￡270 per night. It’s also the third most expensive city for a round of drinks, costing ￡17.16 for three pints, and ranks fourth for taxi prices, at ￡5.99 for a one-mile journey.?

3. Edinburgh
￡265 per night out

Edinburgh takes third place. The city has the third-highest hotel prices at ￡235 per weekend night. It also has the fifth most expensive McDonald’s meal price, averaging ￡7.80 and ranks seventh for its drinks prices, with a round of three pints costing ￡15.?

The cities with the biggest increases in…

Average public transport cost – Leicester (34.8%)

Using public transport on a night out means you can get to nightlife hotspots quickly, easily, and usually much cheaper than other forms of transport. Leicester has seen the biggest increase in the cost of public transport, rising from ￡2.30 in 2022 to ￡3.10 over the last two years, a 34.8% increase.?

The average price of a pint – Bradford (45%)

Supply chain issues and rising VAT on alcohol have led pubs, clubs and bars to raise their alcohol prices. Bradford holds the unfortunate title of the city with the highest increase in the price of a pint, costing an average of ￡4.35 in 2024, a rise of 45% over the last two years.

The price of a McDonalds meal – Gloucester, Huddersfield, Peterborough (40%)

After your night out, you’ll want to head straight for the nearest takeaway to fill up after a night on the dancefloor and keep the party going with your friends. Three cities, Gloucester, Huddersfield and Peterborough have seen the highest price rises for McDonald’s meals, an average of 40% since 2022.

Taxi fare (per mile-long journey) – Birmingham (45.8%)

After a night out, you’ll want an affordable and safe way to travel home, especially if public transport isn’t available. The best way to do this is by taxi. Birmingham has the biggest increase in taxi fares on our list, rising by 45.8% for a mile-long trip, including the starting fee.??

A night in a hotel – Oxford (159.6%)

If you’re travelling to your chosen city for a night out, you’ll need a safe place to stay, relax and recharge after a night of partying. Unfortunately, if you’re planning a night out in Oxford, you’ll be paying a premium, with the average hotel price for a weekend night costing ￡314, an increase of 159.6% since 2022.?

Methodology

Beginning with the 50 biggest cities in the UK for which data was available, we analysed each city on the following factors before adding them together to find the total cost of a night out in 2024. We then compared this to data from the same sources in 2022 using the Wayback Machine to find the percentage change over the past two years.

• Average public transport cost: The average price of a one-way ticket on public transport, according to Numbeo.
• The average price of a pint: The average price of a pint of domestic beer, according to Numbeo. This was multiplied by three to find the cost of a round of drinks.
• Average nightclub ticket price: The average ticket price of each city’s ten most popular club nights, sourced from Fatsoma.
• The price of a McDonald’s meal: The average cost of a McMeal at McDonald’s (or equivalent combo meal) in each city, according to Numbeo.
• Taxi fare: The average taxi fare for a mile-long journey, including the starting price, according to Numbeo.??
• A night in a hotel: The average price of a weekend night in a hotel in each city, according to Kayak.

All data correct as of 04/07/2024.

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We’ve delved into the data to determine how often these fortunes go unclaimed and where this is most common in the UK. Additionally, we’ve looked into the stats around buried treasure to reveal which British counties could be hiding the most wealth beneath our feet!

So, which areas could be the UK’s biggest untapped gold mines?

Cambridgeshire is England’s biggest gold mine county, scoring 6.45/ 10

1. Cambridgeshire
Gold mine score: 6.45

Cambridgeshire has the highest gold mine score at 6.45, scoring highly across all factors. There are 131 unclaimed estates in the county, with potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds, or even millions, just waiting for the rightful heirs to be uncovered. There have also been a considerable number of treasure cases recorded in the area since 2012, with forgotten valuables being unearthed on 238 separate occasions.

2. Lincolnshire
Gold mine score: 5.99

Lincolnshire has the second-highest gold mine score in England, sitting at 5.99. This largely rural county on the border between Yorkshire and the East Midlands has seen 686 cases of treasure being found over the past decade. While the number of unclaimed estates in the area is relatively low at just 56, Lincolnshire has two unclaimed lottery wins waiting for their lucky ticket-holders to realise they’ve won.

3. Kent
Gold mine score: 5.87

Kent has the third-highest gold mine score in our study, 5.87. Kent is also home to a large amount of buried treasure, with 634 examples found since 2012. The county has a rich cultural history, having been settled by several different conquering groups, including the Romans, Jutes, and Normans, all of which could have left exciting treasures forgotten beneath the dirt.

London has the highest number of unclaimed estates, with over 1,700 in the past 50 years

1. London
Number of unclaimed estates: 1,756

London has the largest number of unclaimed estates, with as many as 1,756 estates with no apparent heir. With so many people passing through London from all parts of the UK and beyond, it’s easy to imagine how inheritance can become confused, and tracking down rightful heirs could be much more complicated.

2. Surrey
Number of unclaimed estates: 291

Surrey had the second-highest number of unclaimed estates, with 291 cases over the last 50 years. This wealthy county borders South East London and has become a popular commuter area for the capital. Due to the area’s prosperity, unclaimed estates in Surrey could be worth a fortune, especially if they include land or property.

3. West Midlands
Number of unclaimed estates: 265

The West Midlands county, not to be confused with the broader region of the same name, has the third-highest number of unclaimed estates at 265. As the country’s second-largest city, Birmingham has welcomed migrants from all corners of the British Isles, the Commonwealth and beyond. This complex movement of people can make it especially difficult to track down relatives and heirs of the deceased, leaving some fortunes unclaimed.

Norfolk has had the most treasure unearthed since 2012, with over 1,200 buried items found

1. Norfolk
Total treasure cases: 1,201

X marks the spot in Norfolk, as it has seen the most cases of buried treasure since 2012, with 1,201 recorded finds. The county has an exciting history, stretching back to the Iceni tribe of ancient Britons that lived in the area before the Roman conquest. Norfolk is often regarded as one of the world’s metal-detecting hotspots, with enthusiasts travelling from all over the world to scour the county’s expansive fields.

2. Suffolk
Total treasure cases: 776

Suffolk recorded the second-highest number of treasure cases, with 776 since 2012. Combined with Norfolk, the two neighbouring countries once formed the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia, which was frequently raided by Vikings and later became part of the Norse-occupied Danelaw under the Danish King Guthrum. With such a rich history of different cultures in the area, there’s no telling what treasures one might find.

3. Essex
Total treasure cases: 709

Essex is the third most lucrative area for finding treasure, putting all three top locations in the East of England. These counties’ flat and rural nature makes them perfect for treasure hunting, which could explain why so much loot is unearthed here. Essex even featured as the location for the popular British comedy series The Detectorists, which follows the many japes of two metal detectorists scouring the local fields for historical artifacts.

Three counties have eight unclaimed big lottery wins each

Greater Manchester, Greater London, and West Midlands
Unclaimed lottery wins: 8

Three counties tied for the most unclaimed big lottery wins over the past 10 years, accounting for millions of pounds in missed prize money. Greater Manchester, West Midlands, and Greater London all have eight unclaimed lottery wins from tickets purchased locally, meaning there are some very lucky (and forgetful!) people out there who could be in line to receive vast sums of money.

If you’ve ever played the lottery in these top counties, you may want to search the house for any old tickets you might have forgotten. After all, finding a winning ticket down the back of the sofa could change your life forever!

Smith is the surname associated with the most unclaimed estates, with 100 estates available

Having analysed which areas could be the country’s biggest gold mines, we also wanted to see which names are most commonly linked to unclaimed estates. If you see your name featured on our list, you may want to scour your family tree for distant relatives who may have passed without a clear heir.

1. Smith
Number of unclaimed estates: 100

The most common name associated with unclaimed estates is Smith, with 100 estates listed. Possibly the most common surname in the UK, with “John Smith” even being a commonly used pseudonym for the everyman, it’s understandable that so many unclaimed estates belonged to Smiths.

2. Jones
Number of unclaimed estates: 65

The second-most unclaimed estates are associated with the name Jones, with 65 in total. Jones is a common name in the UK, though it is most prominent in Wales, where it originated. While these figures only represent unclaimed estates in England, there could be some Welsh relatives whose distant cousins moved to England and left no discernable heirs.

3. Brown
Number of unclaimed estates: 46

Brown is the third most common surname linked to unclaimed estates, with 46 recorded in England. Brown is an old and common name in the UK, shared by many famous Brits, such as ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown and world-renowned magician Derren Brown. If you have distant relatives with this surname, it might be worth checking in on them to see if they’re still around!

Methodology

The GOV unclaimed estates list was used to find the number of unclaimed estates by UK county between 1974 and 2024. This data was also used to find the surnames of those with the most unclaimed estates. This data is correct as of 28/06/2024.

The Wayback Machine was used to find the number of unclaimed lottery prizes on the National Lottery website over the last ten years. This data is accurate as of 28/06/24.

The GOV Reported Treasure Finds reports were used to take the total reported treasure finds in UK counties between 2012 and 2022. This data is accurate as of 01/07/2024.

Google Keyword Planner was used to find the number of searches using the term ‘how to claim lottery win’ in each county between June 2023 and May 2024. This data is accurate as of 03/07/2024.

The PERCENTRANK formula in Google Sheets assigned each county a normalised score out of 10. With so few unclaimed lottery wins, each county with unclaimed wins was given a 10 for this factor and a 0 for no unclaimed lottery wins.

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Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.     

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Testing the monument knowledge of Americans, we quizzed 5,000 participants to see if the Vegas copies passed for the real thing. Using picture choices, we asked Americans to decide between the real and the Vegas replica. Let’s just say, Cleopatra wouldn’t be impressed.  

Key Findings: 

• Americans had the hardest time identifying the Statue of Liberty with 95.5% thinking the Vegas replica was the real thing 

• The best state for identifying the fake from the authentic monuments was New Jersey at 62.5% 

• The worst state for identifying real v. replica was Wyoming with 30% accuracy 

• Americans distinguished the Empire State Building with ease at 94% accuracy 

The Statue of Liberty… or Lady Las Vegas? 

A shining image of the Patina Green statue, bravely holding a torch and tablet is etched into the mind of every American, but maybe not to perfection. Americans didn’t exactly pass with shining colors when it came to identifying our very own Lady of Liberty. 

The Statue of Liberty was the #1 hardest monument for Americans to decipher between real v. Vegas. A painful 95.5% of Americans misidentified the Las Vegas Statue of Liberty for the real thing. Oof. Only 4% were able to correctly identify the difference between the New York Statue of Liberty and the Vegas replica. If it helps to lessen the blow, in 2010, the US Postal Service lost $3.5 million dollars when they accidentally printed stamps showing the Vegas Statue of Liberty instead of the real thing. Hats off to the New York-New York Casino Hotel for such stellar Big Apple imitations! 

Arc de Triomphe 

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and that holds true with the Arc de Triomphe. There are over 15 famous Arc de Triomphe fakes with many more scattered across the globe. Of course, Vegas couldn’t resist hopping in on the fun and made their own version at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.  

Not all of us have had the Oh là là experience in the real Paris, France so the Vegas one is a close second. The question is: can Americans tell the difference? The Arc de Triomphe ranked as the 2^nd most difficult to identify. 39% were able to identify the real Arc de Triomphe. Another 38% thought photos of the Chinese replica were the real thing. The Barcelona Arc de Triumf also had her time to shine with 15.8% thinking (despite its red brick appearance) that maybe that was the original. Fortunately, only a small percentage, 8%, thought that the Vegas version was legitimate.  

Trevi Fountain – Falling for the fakes  

The Lizzie McGuire Movie is largely to thank for the average Millennial’s knowledge of Roman infrastructure. Lizzie led us to believe that the Trevi Fountain was largely empty and that everyone in Italy was named Paolo – not exactly historical accuracy.  

Americans were stumped when it came to the Trevi Fountain. When presented with 3 options (Rome, Las Vegas, and Seoul) the results were split three ways. This Italian classic ranked #3 worst identified monument when it came to the Vegas version and the real deal. The majority, 40%, thought the Vegas replica was the real thing. Another 37% thought Seoul’s version in Lotte World was the original. Interestingly, the smallest percentage of people, 24%, were able to identify the real Trevi Fountain. 

St. Mark Campanile Bell Tower 

Bell towers aren’t exactly the most recognizable monuments (bar Big Ben), but the St. Mark Campanile Bell Tower should be up there in fame. That said, Americans weren’t nearly as familiar with this Italian landmark as they were with others.  

When given three photo options, the original and 2 replicas in Ontario, Canada, and Las Vegas, Americans were torn. The St. Mark Campanile Bell Tower was ranked the 4^th hardest monument for Americans, with the majority thinking the Vegas replica was real. 58% thought the Vegas one was real. Another 27% believed the Canadian copy was authentic. The smallest percentage, 15%, was able to identify the actual St. Mark Campanile Bell Tower in Italy. 

Erawan Shrine 

We’ll cut Americans a break on this one, as the Erawan Shrine replica in Vegas is quite intricate. The Erawan Shrine came in 5^th place for monuments Americans can identify. 55% thought the Vegas version of the Erawan Shrine was the real thing. 45% were able to identify the actual Bangkok monument. To be fair, the giant billboard behind the actual shrine can be a bit deceiving.  

Eiffel Tower – Can Americans identify the fake from the French?  

The Eiffel Tower in all its iconic glory, isn’t all that difficult to sham. It’s believed that there are around 80 Eiffel Tower replicas all over the world. Of those replicas, Vegas prides itself on a realistic rendition. The replica was built fairly true to form but at half the height of the Paris version.  

So, were Americans able to tell the difference? Parisians be warned: it’s a real faux pas on our part. When ranked worst to best for identifying monuments, the Eiffel Tower comes in 6^th place. When shown a picture of the Las Vegas Eiffel Tower (with the hotel swimming pool in the frame, mind you) 54% thought it was the real thing. Only 40% were able to correctly identify the Vegas version. Another 4% thought it was the replica found in Paris, Texas. Not exactly the pièce de résistance we thought it was! 

The Great Sphynx – How do Americans fare Egyptian artifacts? 

Amidst pharaohs, mummies, and pyramids – Americans have a general sense of Egyptian culture, but it’s far from meeting King Tut’s standards. The Sphynx statue does a decent job competing with the real deal, but there are some stark differences. Namely, the bright blue paint and its unscathed structure. 

Despite its rather new appearance, 51% of Americans had mistaken the Sphynx Statue in front of the Luxor Hotel for the real one – located in Giza, Egypt. 46% did recognize this to be a rendition or rather homage as it’s not all that similar to Giza’s Sphynx Statue. The real Great Sphynx is lacking much of its face, probably from the 4,500 years of wear and tear, but Americans must have assumed she had a facelift as only half could identify the real thing. 

The Statue of David’s Doppelganger 

Michelangelo left his mark with an unforgettable Renaissance work. But is it as unforgettable as it is unforgeable? We’ll give some credit to the Americans on this one – they didn’t do half bad. 82% were able to tell the real Statue of David apart from its fakes. Interestingly, 58% were more likely to believe the other replica in Piazza della Signoria in Florence was the real version when compared to the Vegas replica. All in all, 93.6% knew that the Vegas Statute of David was a dupe. Perhaps the “CAESAR’S” plaque at the base was a bit of a tip-off. 

Venice’s Grand Canal – Gondola or Gondo-nah? 

Americans seem to know their Italian icons. Like the Statue of David, respondents were able to successfully decipher the Venice from the Vegas. 89% recognized photos of the real Venice Grand Canal while 7% confused the Venice Canal with the Vegas Canal. The Vegas Grand Canal is indoors and is enclosed by a fake blue sky, allowing respondents an easy in spotting the fake. 

Empire State of Mind – Do Americans recognize this building? 

The Empire State Building has long been the symbol of New York – finding its way on postcards, t-shirts, key chains, and the like. Does its recognition live up to its popularity? Las Vegas has its very own New York City skyline, much like that of the real deal, but Americans weren’t so easily fooled. 

Americans were the best at identifying their very own, Empire State Building. Unlike the Italian and French landmarks, where we were a bit shakier, Americans felt confident on the home field. The Empire State Building was recognized with 94% accuracy. Only 3% confused a photo of the New York skyline for the Las Vegas dupe and another 3% thought it was the Miniland in Billund, Denmark.  

Best states for recognizing Las Vegas replicas vs. The real ones 

If you’re from New York, you might have the luxury of being able to identify a monument or two more than, say, Idaho. We put all Americans to the test, but some states came out stronger than others. We ranked in order the best-performing states when it came to identifying Las Vegas replicas and the real things as well as their success rate. 

1. New Jersey 62.5% 

2. Connecticut 60% 

3. Oregon 59% 

4. Michigan 58.18% 

5. Pennsylvania 56.67% 

6. Florida 56.62% 

7. California 56.36% 

8. Illinois 56.36% 

9. North Carolina 55.45% 

10. New York 55% 

A real surprise that New York falls into 10^th place being that 2/10 monuments are on their home turf!  

The Worst States to Recognize Real from Replica 

Replicas are tricky and some states found it to be more of a challenge than others. When we look at the bottom four, we see that respondents from these states were only able to get less than 50% correct. Ranked in worst order of quiz accuracy, the results were as follows- 

1. Wyoming 30% 

2. Vermont 40% 

3. Delaware 45% 

4. Colorado 46.67% 

5. West Virginia 50% 

It’s worth noting that there are no monuments from these states in Vegas, so they had it extra hard! 

Summary 

From best to worst, Americans identified: The Empire State Building, Venice Grand Canal, the Statue of David, the Great Sphynx of Giza, the Eiffel Tower, the Erawan Shrine, St. Mark Campanile, the Trevi Fountain, the Arc de Triomphe, and, finally, the Statue of Liberty that fooled us the most. 

The good news? We all equally suck at identifying which Las Vegas replicas are the dupes. The highest achieving state, New Jersey, still only got 62.5% correct. The lowest, Wyoming at 30%, didn’t venture that far off either. At the national level, Americans got around half correct which, if we were to be graded, would be a big fat F!  

Vegas doesn’t make it easy for us, when it comes to calling out the fakes, but at least we can rest easy knowing the knockoffs are just about as good as the real thing. Sorry Italy!  

Methodology 

In July 2024, we quizzed 5,000 Americans asking them to identify monuments and their Vegas equivalents using photos. Participants were asked about the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Erawan Shrine, Sphynx of Giza, St Mark Campanile, Trevi Fountain, Statue of David, Venice Grand Canal, and Arc de Triomphe. 

The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Over half — 61% — were male, 38% were female, less than 1% identified as trans, non-binary, or “other”. 

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Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.     

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All 30 teams will be up to bat on July 4^th for a flag-waving fight. As such, we wanted to know which MLB fan bases are going to show up and strut their stars and stripes. We surveyed 5,000 MLB fans to determine just how patriotic they claim to be. Amongst questions like “Do you vote” and “Do you wave the American flag” we put their patriotism to the test. We even asked fans to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to see just how much they really remember. The results? Star-spangled staggering. ?

Key Findings:  

• America’s #1 MLB fan base is the LA Angels at 84.5% patriotism 
• The Texas Rangers ranked the #2 most patriotic at 83.4%  
• Excluding the Toronto Blue Jays, the least patriotic is the Oakland Athletics, at only 66% self-identified American pride 
• The Colorado Rockies are anticipated to have the highest 4th of July attendance?
• When quizzed, 88% of MLB fans were able to recite the whole Pledge of Allegiance 

Most Patriotic MLB Fanbases  

Some fans bleed red, white, blue, and their team’s colors too. We asked a series of questions regarding “patriotic behavior” to determine the truest America-lovin baseball fans. ?

We’re starting at the West Coast, as the Los Angeles Angels fans were named the #1 most patriotic. California is actually quite low on American pride. Ranked 35^th out of 50 for patriotism, you wouldn’t expect a team from this state to perform so well. The Los Angeles Angels are proving the contrary by leading with an 84.5% patriotism rate. When asked how much they self-identify as patriotic, fans averaged 4.2/5. The Angels v. Orioles 4^th of July game is fully sold out on the official MLB website, so expect a full, festive house!?

America’s cowboys are also feeling the USA-awe. Lassoing in the 2^nd place medal, Texas Rangers earn an 83.4% patriotism rating. Historically, a “Texas Ranger” fought to protect the border, fight off cattle thieves, and protect the Lone Star State. Pride still runs this deep as Rangers fans boast an 84% regular voting rate, a 97% standing rate for the National Anthem, and a 94% hot dog consumption rate at games. Yeehaw. ?

Rounding out the top 3, we’re headed up north. The Colorado Rockies fans were ranked the #3 most patriotic. The only team where 100% of respondents said they stand for the National Anthem, Rockies fans exude red, white, and blue.  

The Least Patriotic Fanbases  

There are always the Independence Day Grinches on the other side of the spectrum, too. The fans who roll their eyes at fireworks, gawk at festive outfits, and bash the homemade barbecue. We’ve excluded our dear Toronto Blue Jays friends for obvious reasons, but they’ve let us know that they’re keen to celebrate Canada Day on July 1^st!?

Just up the California coast, we go from LA’s loud and proud citizens to the Oakland “over it” residents. The Oakland Athletics ranked last for patriotism with an average 3.3/5 ranking. If you see Oakland fans humming their way through the anthem, don’t be too surprised as 15% of respondents only knew about half of the lyrics. Let’s hope Vice President and Oakland-native, Kamala Harris, doesn’t find out! 

And another strike for California! The 2^nd least patriotic team is only an “out of the park” away from Oakland. The San Francisco Giants fans were ranked the 2^nd least patriotic in the league. Giants fans might not be feeling the love at the national level, but they show respect to the greats, like Willie Mays, who died on June 18, 2024. 

Which MLB fanbases are standing (or sitting) for the national anthem? 

Nicknamed the “Gateway to the Americas”, Miami doesn’t quite live up to its title when it comes to patriotism. The Miami Marlins had the highest sitting rate during the national anthem at 21%. In other words, about every 1 in 5 Marlins fans chooses to sit during the national anthem at a game. ?

Marlin fans aren’t the only sitters. They may put the red in red, white, and blue but they’re not about to stand for it! The Cincinnati Reds ranked 2nd highest sitting rate during the National Anthem in the MLB. Reds fans don’t find this an exact reflection of their American pride, however. Reds’ fans ranked in the top 10 for patriotism, for other factors like voting frequency, supporting the troops, and dressing Fourth festive. How’s that for the Big Red Machine??

The third one may come as a surprise. In order, this team has mascots named: George, Tom, Abe, Teddy, and, famously, a Bald Eagle named (victory) Screech. What could get more American than that? All that aside, Nationals fans aren’t feeling so…national. For this Washington team, they’ve got an 11% sit rate during the National Anthem, the third highest in the country. ?

On the other hand, some MLB fans are eager to stand. As mentioned, the Colorado Rockies come in 1^st place for standing during the anthem. All Rockies respondents said (ability-allowing) they stand for the anthem 100% of the time at MLB games. You guys rock! 

Steel City is also standing strong. Pittsburgh Pirates fans had the 2^nd highest stand rate for the national anthem at 97.7%. They might be the team of buccaneering and bootlegging, but they do take pride in national tradition. ?

Thankfully, the third-place winner is putting credit back to the California name. With the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics ranking low for patriotism, you might think that the San Diego Padres followed in their footsteps. Padres supporters are fans who take a stand. They maintained a 97.2% standing right for the national anthem, giving some context to their old slogan, “keep the faith.”?

Teams anticipated to have the highest 4^th of July attendance 

What could be more American than crackerjacks, singing (and swaying) your way through, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and an MLB game? Maybe a Bald Eagle mascot named Screech. At any rate, we wanted to know who is anticipating the highest 4^th of July attendance as all 30 teams will be playing on Independence Day.  

Get ready to sink your teeth into a Rockies Dog because Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, is expected to have the highest attendance of patriotic fans. Ranking again #1, 28% of Rockies fans said they prefer to spend their Fourth at the field.  

LA expects a full stadium too. 23% of the Angels’ patriotic fans are planning to attend on the Fourth of July. If it sounds underwhelming, just know that the LA Angels’ neighboring rivals, The Dodgers are anticipating a 63% lower attendance rate. ?

Back to Ohio we go to see a real 4^th of July show! The Cleveland Guardians are also anticipating fans to turn up, with 22% of its patriotic fan base planning an appearance. Not such a bad rate when you consider that it’s an away game at the Chicago White Sox stadium. 

Not all Ohio MLB teams are in the holiday spirit for MLB fun. Unlike Guardians fans, Cincinnati Reds fans would rather spend their time at a BBQ than a baseball game. They’re anticipating the lowest attendance from their patriotic fans at only 2.2%. ?

Although near the nation’s capital, these fans aren’t planning to step foot in their team’s stadium this Fourth. The Baltimore Orioles ranked 2^nd last for anticipated Independence Day game attendance at 4%.

“Loyal to no game!”, said the Kansas City Royals fans. Royals supporters ranked 3^rd to last as only 5% of their fanbase is planning to turn up on the Fourth. It’s a home game with a fireworks display to polish off the night, what could be more fun? ?

Most and Least Patriotic Players 

Fans are one thing, and players are another. Bearing in mind that 27.8% of MLB players are not American-born, it only makes sense that they’re not rallying around the flag. Those 264 players paired with American athletes that just feel “red, white, and bleh” – we wanted to know who had the most and least patriotic players according to the fan’s perspective.  

Perhaps not surprisingly, Texas Rangers again landed top. The Rangers boast the #1 spot for most patriotic players. Pitcher and cover boy of the Rangers, Nathan Eovaldi is from Houston, Texas so it certainly helps! ?

Although the fans might not be the most patriotic, the players boast a bit more America-brag. The Washington Nationals were ranked #2 most patriotic players at a 4.2/5 rating. Their roster this season features the most players from Florida, North Carolina, and California. 

Land of the free and home of the (Atlanta) brave! The Atlanta Braves ranked #3 for most patriotic players. The Braves frequently hold events for Military Appreciation Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and more. 

Back under the chopping block is the Oakland Athletics. For patriotism, the A’s players only got a 2.8/5 score. To be fair, they have a diverse roster with players from the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and even Canada! The US isn’t the only country to play baseball after all! ?

Although a member of the American League, the Chicago White Sox players weren’t regarded too highly when it came to national pride. The White Sox players ranked 2nd to last with a 3.1/5 score. Interestingly, the White Sox don’t have any hometown heroes and only one player from Illinois.?

The last team has a giant patriotism problem. The San Francisco Giants ranked #3 worst patriotism for players. It could be a matter of leadership, of course. Giants’ Manager, Bob Melvin, went on the record to say that although he encourages, but doesn’t require standing for the national anthem.  

MLB Fans & Their Patriotic Duties:  

Voting:?

Voting is paramount to American pride. After all, it gives us the right to take part in the Land of the Free. Some fanbases are more participatory than others of course. The Kansas City Royals fans have the highest voting rate at 97.5%. On the other end of the spectrum, the Miami Marlins fans only had a 79% voting rate. Across all MLB teams, the average was 89%. 

Supporting the troops: ?

What about when it comes to saluting our veterans? Some teams encourage military support more than others with veterans’ discounts, military appreciation days, and more. Again, the Colorado Rockies lead the way in patriotism with 100% of respondents saying they fully support the troops. The Pittsburgh Pirates, on the other hand, had an 88% support rate. The national average was 94% across all teams. 

Knowing the words to the Pledge of Allegiance:?

“I pledge of allegiance to…” was it the flag? Republic? USA? Although many of us grew up reciting the pledge every day, the semantics can sometimes escape us. KC Royals again swept the competition with fans knowing 95% of the Pledge of Allegiance. The Miami Marlins mumble through the chorus with 72% lyrical knowledge. MLB fans across the country were pretty Pledge-ready, with the average respondent knowing 88% of the Pledge of Allegiance.?

Patriotic clothing:?

The Fourth is our chance to wear that star-spangled cowboy hat, Walmart’s finest tee, and any other patriotic garb to flaunt freedom (and fashion). 67% of Rockies fans are walking the red, white, and blue runway. Only 27% of Oakland Athletics fans said they’d dress patriotic for the Fourth. On average, 51% indicated that they’d be wearing some sort of festive clothing for the occasion. 

Are MLB fans taking a knee during the National Anthem?  

Almost 10 years ago, Colin Kaepernick took a silent knee in political protest. Following some negative feedback, the trend has slowly faded away, but Americans still have much to say about it. Outside of football, how would Americans feel if it happened in the MLB? 

Largely fans were indifferent. 40% of baseball fans said they’d feel “neutral” or “indifferent” if a player did this. Another 29% said they would actually support it. The final 27% did, however, say they would be angry by such an action.  

The Cleveland Guardians had the highest anger rate at 40% against it. The Seattle Mariners had the highest support rate at 46%.  

Teams playing on the 4^th of July: 

Now it wouldn’t be very neighborly of us to not share the MLB schedule, right? If you want to spend your Independence Day watching Baseball for 11+ hours straight, well, that’s your American right. 

Mets v. Nationals @ 11:05AM ET 

Cardinals v. Pirates @ 12:35AM ET 

Reds v. Yankees @ 1:05PM ET 

Astros v. Blue Jays @ 1:07PM ET 

White Sox v. Cubs @ 1:10PM ET 

Red Sox v. Marlins @ 1:10PM ET 

Tigers v. Twins @ 2:10PM ET 

Phillies v. Cubs @ 2:20PM ET 

Padres v. Rangers @ 2:35PM ET 

Angels v. A’s @ 4:07PM ET 

Orioles v. Mariners @ 4:10PM ET 

Giants v. Braves @ 7:20PM ET 

Rays v. Royals @ 8:10PM ET 

Brewers v. Rockies @ 8:10PM ET 

Diamondbacks v. Dodgers @ 9:10PM ET 

Summary 

Play ball! It’s almost Independence Day and whether you’re planning to spend it with a foot-long hot dog or awing at a fireworks display, it’s not a bad idea to go cheer on your favorite MLB team! Patriotic or otherwise, the crackerjacks are calling and we must go! 

Methodology 

In June 2024, we surveyed 4,000 American MLB fans asking a number of questions regarding patriotism and their fan habits. Some questions included: 

• How frequently do you vote? (National, State, Local) 
• Do you plan to dress festively for the Fourth of July? 
• On a scale of 1-10, how much do you support the troops? 
• How would you feel if “taking a knee” came to the MLB? 
• Ability allowing, how frequently do you stand for the National Anthem at games? 
• Finally, a quiz testing their knowledge of the Pledge of Allegiance 

The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Over half — 61% — were male, 38% were female, less than 1% identified as trans, non-binary, or “other”. 

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Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.    

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We asked 4,000 Americans their take on which sports they found the most heinous and why. With the Summer Olympics coming up, we even investigated which events are getting an eye roll from US spectators. Buckle up and hide your Lululemons because the roasts are coming!  

Key Highlights: 

• Ultimate frisbee was ranked #1 most despised US sport 
• Americans find Breaking to be the most annoying event in the Summer Olympics 
• Despite having the most yearly growth in fitness trends, Pilates was voted the #1 cringiest individual sport?

America’s Most Hated Team Sport is… 

If you were anticipating the most hated sport to involve a “hut, hut, hike” you’re wrong. Traditionally, football has gotten a bad rap for being the jock table jerks, but the stigma has shifted to a sport a little more…obscure. ?

Ultimate Frisbee was voted the #1 most hated sport in America. As it turns out, there’s some serious animosity towards the frisbee throwers of the country. When asked why this majority thinks ultimate frisbee was hate-worthy, respondents claimed that “people play to show off on social media.” If you’re just playing “ultimate,” as its players call it, to snap a selfie, better to stay off the field. One respondent even went on to say, “Boring! I would rather watch grass grow than watch idiots play this.” Yikes! 

The runner-up was no other than America’s new favorite: pickleball. Pickleball was voted the #2 most hated sport in America, and we don’t have to look too deep into the statistics to understand why. Stemming from its affluent cousins: tennis and squash, many Americans think it’s just a new way to keep the rich entertained. Like ultimate frisbee, most respondents said that people only play pickleball to brag on social media, but another quarter of respondents said people play the sport for its exclusivity. You can’t pickleball with us! ?

Third place goes to an American classic. You guessed it – football. Unlike ultimate frisbee and pickleball, where they’re hated for their exclusive and braggy feeling, Americans dislike football for different reasons. 60% think it’s not actually the sport that’s the issue – it’s the fans. An average NFL game isn’t complete without at least a couple of bar fights, fans taking to the streets and incessant screaming. Not to mention a lot of painted bellies. ?

Most Hated Individual Sports and Non-Contact Activities in the US 

Sun salutations to the most hated American fitness activities! No, yoga, you’re safe. Pilates – sorry to say it, but America hates you. Whether it’s the Athletic Greens aesthetic or the matching periwinkle-colored Pilates gear, we can’t help but cringe. Pilates was voted the #1 most hated individual physical activity in the US. The #1 cited reason people hate on Pilates was that it felt like people do it to “show off”. There are over 3 million #pilatesinfluencers on Instagram, so it’s no wonder that users are tired of seeing “navel to nose” on their social feeds. ?

Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by “gains”, “bulking”, “macros”, or any other gym bro banter. If so, you’re not alone. Americans cited that the #2 physical activity community they love to hate was weightlifters. Just like Pilates, respondents find weightlifting hate-worthy because of the “flaunting” aspect. We’re one gym mirror selfie away from losing our cool!?

Put down the chalk, no one wants to see your climber’s grip. Climbing was considered the #3 most hated physical activity in America. To be honest, we get it. Seeing your friends brag about clinging on to rubber grips at an indoor gym is…well…cringeworthy.?The data backs this claim too. Like football, the most cited reason for climbing hatred was because of the community itself. As [deleted] Reddit user refers to them, “You mean the beanie-wearing pebble wrestlers at the bottom of my cliff?!?!” we start to understand why the “Williamsburg” of workouts is deeply shamed. ?

Running Events Getting All the Hate 

Running clubs…you’re not safe either. As a positive, many respondents praised running for its inclusion and low barrier to entry, but that doesn’t mean it’s safeguarded from a good ole’ fashion roast. Haters gonna hate and that’s exactly what we’re here to do.?

Between fun runs and tough mudders, there’s so much great content for jokes and jabs. We asked our participants to rank which major running events across the US they found the most insufferable.  

Let’s start with the good news: the more “serious” marathons, like the NYC Half and the Boston Marathon, were safe from ridicule. As we make our way down the East Coast, however, and more specifically to a certain tourist destination, the hate commences. Mickey Mouse will need to run because the Walt Disney World Marathon was overwhelmingly voted the #1 most hate-worthy marathon in the country. It’s something about the ears and tutus that turn the more serious running community against them, while the layman joins in to mock the Mickey Mouse fans too. The almost 15,000 finishers don’t let it bother them however, as they get to soak in glory and Florida sunshine!?

If you’ve ever swiped no to someone on a dating app because their main photo is them covered in mud leaping over a wooden hurdle, you’re in good company. 40% of the replies in the /toughmudder Reddit thread used the word “elitist” or “elitism” which just about says it all. Tough Mudder races were considered the #2 most hated racing event in the US. Why anyone would want to splash around in the mud, run for their lives, and have to pay $109 is beyond us. 

The Olympic Events Getting All the Cringe 

It became a bit of a national running joke when curling became a medal sport in the 1998 Olympics. The common opinion at the time echoed that of outlandish sentiment. 25+ years later, and it’s not so disregarded, but new sports have entered the mix. We asked respondents to share which Olympic event they found the most hate-worthy out of the upcoming 32 events, some old, some new.  

In order, here is the ranking order of the most hated summer Olympic sports:?

1. Break Dancing 

2. Handball 

3. Judo 

4. Archery 

5. Cycling 

6. Sport Climbing 

7. Basketball 

8. Skateboarding 

If curling has taught us anything, we judge what we don’t know. Maybe in a few years, after break dancing has matured in the Olympics scene, it will be more widely accepted.  

Most Hated Sports by State 

What’s popular in California might be loathsome in Virginia and vice-versa. We wanted to know what were the most hated sports at a state level and the results didn’t disappoint.  

1. Alabama, Pickleball 

2. Alaska, Lacrosse 

3. Arizona, Ultimate Frisbee 

4. Arkansas, Pickleball 

5. California, Ultimate Frisbee 

6. Colorado, Football 

7. Connecticut, Pickleball 

8. District of Columbia, Pickleball 

9. Florida, Ultimate Frisbee 

10. Georgia, Pickleball 

11. Illinois, Football 

12. Indiana, Ultimate Frisbee 

13. Iowa, Ultimate Frisbee 

14. Kansas, Football 

15. Kentucky, Pickleball 

16. Louisiana, Football 

17. Maryland, Ultimate Frisbee 

18. Massachusetts, Ultimate Frisbee 

19. Michigan, Football 

20. Minnesota, Pickleball 

21. Mississippi, Ultimate Frisbee 

22. Missouri, Ultimate Frisbee 

23. Nebraska, Pickleball 

24. Nevada, Football 

25. New Hampshire, Ultimate Frisbee 

26. New Jersey, Pickleball 

27. New Mexico, Ultimate Frisbee 

28. New York, Ultimate Frisbee 

29. North Carolina, Football 

30. North Dakota, Ultimate Frisbee 

31. Ohio, Ultimate Frisbee 

32. Oklahoma, Football 

33. Oregon, Football 

34. Pennsylvania, Ultimate Frisbee 

35. Rhode Island, Football 

36. South Carolina, Pickleball 

37. South Dakota, Tennis 

38. Tennessee, Pickleball 

39. Texas, Ultimate Frisbee 

40. Utah, Pickleball 

41. Vermont, Padel 

42. Virginia, Ultimate Frisbee 

43. Washington, Football 

44. West Virginia, Ultimate Frisbee 

45. Wisconsin, Pickleball 

Please note that states with insufficient data were omitted from the list.  

Summary 

Although we shouldn’t hate on anyone for getting active and doing something they love, there’s no harm in picking a little fun! Americans left the classics like basketball and baseball out of the mix and focused their sneering on newer sports such as pickleball, ultimate frisbee, and the Olympics’ break dancing. Some American faves couldn’t be left out of the roast however, as the NFL gets third-place hatred. Do what you love no matter what the haters say, but don’t be surprised if your Peloton becomes the butt of the joke. ?

Methodology  

In June 2024, we surveyed 4,000 Americans asking a number of questions regarding the sentiment of sports and physical activities identified in Google Trends top lists. The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Over half — 56% — were female, 42% were male, 1% identified as trans or non-binary, and 1% listed “other”.???

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Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.   

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org 

In honor of The Hangover’s 15^th Anniversary, we’re giving away a night’s stay at the famed Hangover Suite in Caesar’s Palace casino, a stay worth over $2,000. The room was the inspiration for the masterpiece, The Hangover. It’s complete with stellar?views, a bubbling tub, and that “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” feel. Are you convinced yet? Here’s what you’ll need to do to enter:?

How to enter:  

Feeling Vegas-invigorated? Throw your name in the hat and get ready for a ritzy stay in The Hangover suite! What’re you waiting for! Enter here!  

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If you’ve been hoping to “toss a couple milli in the air for the heck of it” just know there are some places that are better for it. Some states have neighborhoods filled with McMansions while others scrape the barrel for a buck. We wanted to just where the entrepreneurs, the ambitious, and the idealist would have their best shot at earning $1,000,000,000.  

To determine this, we looked at a number of wealth factors, at the state and city levels, that crucially affect financial growth. Those factors include:  

1. Cost of Living Index 

2. Access to investment funds and venture capital 

3. Average Income 

4. Education Rates 

5. GDP Per Capita 

6. Current concentration of millionaires  

We combined these factors to create a weighted score that ultimately ranked states and 20 US cities by likelihood of becoming a millionaire. So where will you have your rags to riches story? 

Key Findings: 

• San Francisco is the #1 city for becoming a millionaire, scoring 94/100 on the millionaire index 
• The Golden State, California comes into 1st for “best state to become a millionaire” with 17.9% of it’s population being millionaires
• Mississippi ranked as the toughest state for millionaires with a 2/100 score on the millionaire index

Move here if you want to become a millionaire 

All signs are pointing to the Golden State! Since the early days of the U S of A, pioneers headed west to strike it rich. Scoring 80/100 on the millionaire index, California earned the title of the #1 best state for becoming a millionaire. Cali topped the charts for several reasons. Home to Silicon Valley, California had more venture capital than any other state and more than most of the US combined. With $1.03 billion of investment funds in 2023 alone, The Golden State makes up almost half (41%) of the US venture capital total of $2.5 billion.  

Beyond investment, even the average joe makes more. The annual income sat at $73,220 avg. for Californians, 22% more than the national numbers. With that in mind, California did rank as the second highest cost of living in the country, following only slightly behind the expensive Massachusetts. Your bank account might have a few extra zeros behind it if you move to California, but just remember, a bottle of water can cost upwards of $26 at the Erewhon grocery store.  

If you’re California dreaming of capitalism, just know you stand a 9% chance of striking it rich. Not all that bad actually! 

The rich runner-ups  

If you’ve never quite pictured yourself living in the Malibu dream house, don’t worry. There are plenty of states to test your luck at the American Dream. The concrete jungle is also ample with opportunities! New York ranked #2 for best state to become a millionaire.  

Opportunities aren’t just limited to the Big Apple either. The state, in its entirety, had higher education rates (37% have a bachelor’s degree or more), higher GDP, and a bigger labor market. It’s interesting to note too that New York’s wealth doesn’t scream, it whispers. Instead of most of its money coming from investment capital, like California, it’s more of a slow burn (read: generational wealth). With higher annual salaries ($75k vs. $59k national average), New Yorkers are building their empires in different ways. Well… that and the highest concentration of extreme wealth in the country might mean a “small loan of a million dollars,” but they’ve earned it! Right? 

If you weren’t born into names like Rockefeller or Vanderbilt, fear not! In New York, you stand about a 7.52% chance of becoming a millionaire.  

Bay State? More like Bae State! Massachusetts wins our hearts (and our wallets) as the 3^rd best state for becoming a millionaire. Massachusetts prides itself on having the most GDP per capita in the US, but it doesn’t stop there. That GDP translates to “by the people, for the people” with some of the highest salaries in the country ($77k avg.).  

Massachusetts isn’t wealthy in the same way that New York or California are. Where California boasts “start-up bro” rich and New Yorkers are “dad’s money” it’s a different ball game in MA. Consider that Harvard, MIT, and Boston College are some of the richest universities in the country and you get a better idea as to why there’s money to be made in Massachusetts.  

If you’re Ivy or otherwise, Massachusettsans stand a 9.38% of hitting millionaire status.  

Best US cities for becoming a millionaire 

Let’s get granular. The chances of striking it rich in Oakland versus Presidio Heights, for example, might vary drastically and they’re only miles away. Looking beyond the state level, we wanted to know, out of the top 25 most-populated cities, what urban areas are best for accumulating wealth.  

Just as California is a rich state, so are its stand-alone cities. 3 out of the top 4 best cities for becoming a millionaire are in California. #1 goes to San Francisco followed by San Jose for #2, and Los Angeles at #4. San Francisco isn’t just rich, it’s rich rich. Every 1 in 1,060 city residents is ultra-wealthy – this goes far beyond a couple of lousy millions! All that money does however mean steep housing costs which shines light on why San Francisco has the 10^th highest amount of unsheltered homeless populations.  

San Jose is just as techie as its San Fran counterpart. Coming into 2^nd place as the best city for becoming a millionaire, San Jose has the third highest GDP per capita in the world (just behind Oslo and Zurich) in part thanks to the tech giants who reside there. Cisco Systems, eBay, Adobe Inc., PayPal, Broadcom, and Zoom all call San Jose home. With the medium household income at $113k, it doesn’t seem so farfetched to become rich in Teal Town. 

California can’t have all the fun. Boston ranks as the 3^rd best city for becoming a millionaire. Boston is the 9^th richest city in the world with plenty of wealth to go around. The latest figures show that Harvard’s endowment is $49.44 billion. A smooth tenure at the university can really add up! For those outside of academia, Boston’s millionaire households had the third highest amount of bonds, stocks, and personal retirement funds. Education helps of course, but with the high concentration of assets, we can see that investment goes a long way too.  

The Worst States for Becoming Millionaires  

Not everything that glitters is gold. By the numbers, we can already see that a vast majority of America’s wealth is held up in only a few states. Some states fare worse than others when it comes to moving up the wealth ladder.  

At the bottom of the list is Mississippi, where they scored a 2/100 on the millionaire index. Only 4% of the state has millionaires’ status and 2, who happen to be brothers, have earned billionaires’ titles. Mississippi isn’t kind to those trying to make a dollar either. CNBC claimed the court system to be one of the most hostile towards business. On the upside, Mississippi has one of the lowest cost of living rates, so even if you don’t hit the magic number of $1 million, you can still live a decent life on less. 

For the bottom 2, West Virginia and Arkansas tied at a 4/100 on the millionaire index. Both states had relatively low education rates compared to the national average as well as minimal job opportunities (per the labor index) for both degree and non-degree holders. Much like Mississippi, these 2 states don’t necessarily require millions to live a good life. Both states make it into the top 10 cheapest states to live in the US at a 90.2 on the cost of living index. That certainly beats a $12 coffee in NYC! 

US cities where you’re least likely to become a millionaire  

Compare the $18.07 minimum wage in San Francisco to El Paso’s $12.11 and you begin to see the wealth disparity a bit clearer. Out of the 25 most populated US cities, El Paso ranked last with a score of 13/100 on the millionaire index. With a count of 6,000 millionaires and 1 billionaire, the community with the deep pockets is a small one. The chances of becoming a millionaire in El Paso? Less than 1%.  

Indianapolis also doesn’t bode well for aspiring millionaires. Scoring 21/100 on the millionaire index, the factors work against those trying to earn big. The exact amount of millionaires in Indianapolis is unknown, but only 5.34% of the whole state holds that kind of wealth. Ranking 9^th in the nation for the number of impoverished neighborhoods, the millionaire dream seems challenging. With that said, there are stories of inspiration that show us that even if the odds are low, not all is lost. Herb Simon, owner of the Indiana Pacers with a now approximate net worth of $4 billion was raised in poverty. The odds are slim in Indiana, but nothing is impossible! 

The million-dollar question 

Alright Sharks, show us the money! If you’ve got an idea that you’re itching to share to make the big bucks, there are certainly some states that are more receptive than others. That said, the US, on the whole, still has the American Dream to share. The probability of becoming a millionaire in the US is 6.4% – slim, but not futile! Just remember, Kim Kardashian is a billionaire. If Ms. (and I quote) “Stretchmarks are my biggest fear in life” can do it, you can too! 

Methodology 

In May 2024, we collected state and economic statistics to combine for a weighted score. The weighted score used wealth factors to determine the best states to become a millionaire. 

Fair Use 

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An estimated $13 billion worth of package theft has hit the US. All across the suburbs of the US (and cities too), Americans are plagued with package theft problems. Some companies reimburse, while others shrug their shoulders. Despite the wave of new technologies like Ring doorbells and employing old ones like yapping dogs, porch piracy remains on the rise. 

We wanted to know which cities and states porch pirates are hitting the most and what exactly is being stolen. By surveying 3,000 Americans who have been victim to said problem, we were able to collect the data necessary to figure out the deal with package theft: what’re they stealing, how are we stopping it, and does your video doorbell really make a difference or are they just smiling for the camera?  

Key findings: 

• Washington DC is getting hit the hardest with porch pirates at 80% 
• Philadelphia named the capital of package theft with 82% regular thievery 
• Nebraska was deemed the safest state with the nation’s lowest package theft rate 
• 20% of Americans “protect” against package theft by working from home 
• Amazon packages were the #1 stolen item followed by food deliveries for #2 

States Suffering the Most Package Theft  

Is it any wonder that the top location for porch piracy is the 3^rd most affluent city (correction, district) in the country? Washington DC is the #1 location for porch piracy. Call it a state, province, or “no man’s land,” it’s all the same for porch pirates, where over 80% of its residents have faced the problem of package theft. Another 80% responded that they’ve had the problem as recently as this year and another 20% have had the problem just within the past months, proving that it’s an ongoing issue. To combat the problem, the DC police force has been conducting sting operations to bait the pirates with fake Amazon boxes and enticing packages.  

As it turns out, the West Coast pirates are just as stealthy! Oregon ranked #2 for most porch piracy in the US. 71% of Oregonians have had to deal with package theft in one way or another. 80% of packages stolen in Oregon are Amazon, but another 16% are UPS. No delivery is safe; it’s like playing Russian roulette with your parcels.

They say the Midwest is known for mannerisms, but Missouri thieves would disagree. Snatching packages off doorsteps isn’t particularly pleasant! Coming into 3^rd place, 68% of Missourians have unfortunately had to face the porch pirate problem. 57% of Missourians have a negative feeling about the government’s involvement in this. 40% of residents indicated that they feel the government is doing absolutely nothing to solve the package theft problem. Sounds like citizen vigilante is just a matter of time. 

Safe and Sound: States Facing Minimum Porch Piracy 

Some of our ships (states) are facing smoother seas. Some states feel comfortable ordering a package and knowing it’s going to be there when they get home. On the other end of the spectrum, these are the states that face minimal porch piracy. 

According to the FBI, the crime rate in Nebraska is lower than the national average. The same is true for porch piracy, where Nebraska ranks as the #1 safest state for porch piracy. Fortunately, less than 25% of its citizens have faced package theft. Amongst those 25% affected, 84% haven’t faced this problem in over 6 months.  

Following a similarly low crime rate, Maine is deemed a generally safe state. Maine comes #2 for the lowest porch piracy rate in the country. ?Like Nebraska, Maine residents only face this problem once or twice a year, on average. They’ve hit the jackpot when it comes to package safety.

Hoo faces lower package theft rates than the Hoosier State? Indiana comes in 3^rd place for the best state against package theft. Their secret? 41% of Indianans use some sort of security system to protect against getting their boxes stolen. Another 15% feel comfortable enough to send it to a neighbor. Aww. 

Worst Porch Pirate Cities 

Although it may seem that cities stand a better chance against package theft, with many buildings having doormen and a higher availability of package lockers, but that wouldn’t tell the whole story. Cities are just as susceptible to package theft and, if anything, more. Some statistics find that crime is as high as 75% more prevalent in urban areas than rural and porch piracy is no exception. 

Was it porch pirates he was referring to when the Fresh Prince said: “a couple of guys started making trouble in his neighborhood”? We may never know, but one thing we do know is that Philadelphia is the porch pirate capital of the US. 82% of Philadelphians face porch piracy regularly. Not surprisingly, residents also had one of the most negative attitudes towards government support on the matter. Almost 70% of Philadelphians cited that the government is doing “nothing” to stop the problem. Guess it’s not always sunny in Philadelphia. 

Not far away, the Big Apple places #2 in facing similar, rampant issues with package theft. According to Nyc.gov, as many as 90,000 packages are stolen per day. As many buildings lack sufficient security for package drops, porch pirates see it as a prime location to get more loot without having to go the distance. From our findings, 81% regularly face porch piracy in the city. New Yorkers also had the most negative view toward government response. 83% think the NYC administration has done nothing to prevent package theft. A whopping 0% had something nice to say about the governmental efforts to stop stolen parcels. You want to order a package in New York and have it delivered? Fuhgeddaboudit. 

To round off the worst cities for porch piracy is New Orleans at #3. Fondly coined the “Big Easy” New Orleans is known for fun and good times. But all that rowdiness is prime for porch piracy. Thieves seize the relatively low security measures thus causing 80% of respondents to indicate that they’ve been victim to package theft. With that in mind, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that 60% of residents are worried the problem will grow worse in Summer.  

Orlando and Los Angeles took fourth and fifth place for package theft with 78% and 75% reporting respectively. 

Protection against package theft: remote work, guard dogs & guns? 

Rob me once, shame on you. Rob me twice and I’m getting a bat! At least that’s what one NYC resident did when he was tired of being constantly robbed. Just last month, resident Mejia put out decoy packages filled with french fries and…dog poop to lure in criminals. Said criminals were met with Mejia and his baseball bat.  

As residents get more and more fed up with package theft, some are turning to violence, decoys, and other tactics. Apart from security systems, the #1 reason respondents said they work from home just to avoid package theft. For those who can’t work remotely, the second choice was using package lockers to guard their goods. The #4 security measure used Rex to ruff away the criminals with “guard dog” as their top response.  

At the bottom of the data, we find very friendly and unfriendly responses. 9% feel comfortable enough to leave packages with neighbors who they know will be home. Another 4% are following Mejia’s approach and keeping porch pirates at bay with guns. 

Food is the #1 item to be stolen for many 

Don’t worry, your kitty water fountain is probably not at risk of being stolen. Your In-N-Out order on the other hand? Not so safe. With Amazon dominating the delivery scene it’s only natural that the majority (59%) of stolen packages are from Bezos.  

What we didn’t expect is what came into savory second place. Food deliveries are being stolen by 6x a month for those who order regularly! 22% of respondents said they faced food delivery theft with providers like, but not limited to, Uber Eats, Deliveroo, DoorDash, Hello Fresh, and more.  

Summary 

Yo ho, yo ho, it’s a pirate’s life for many, but Americans aren’t taking it! With many residents opting to survey the premises with Ring doorbells or send boxes directly to package lockers, it’s no longer such smooth sailing for these pirates.  

Over half (53%) of Americans have faced package theft at least once before. Another half of respondents are worried that the summer months could bring worse thievery as delivery frequency increases. Make sure your house is safe against skulls and sabers before your deliveries get snatched!?Don’t gamble with your packages – stack the deck in your favor with some preventative measures.

Methodology  

In May 2024, we surveyed 3,000 Americans asking a number of questions regarding package theft. The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Over half — 56% — were female, 42% were male, 1% identified as trans or non-binary, and 1% listed “other”.   

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For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org 

With millions of songs out there in the ether, we wanted to know: what artists are producing the most original music? Which artists are “rip-offs” of others?  

We started by gathering top chart data from Billboard and Rolling Stone divided by genres in the US and Canada: top charts, pop, hip-hop/rap, country, rock, greatest of all time, and TikTok top charts. We then web-scraped all 800 million videos on YouTube using music plagiarism AI (MIPP). Following a number of other “uniqueness” factors like the Shazam fingerprint, artists royalties, and more we were able to index artists and songs from unique to rip-off. 

Key Highlights:  

• Zach Bryan was named the “most original artist” with a score of 73/100 
• The Black Keys were deemed the “biggest rip-off artist” with a score of 10/100 
• Beyonce’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” was awarded the “most original song” on the top charts 
• Rap is crowned the most original music genre thanks to unique rhyme scheme and a high percentage of unique lyrics 
• Electronic and Top Charts music fall into the bottom, named the “most unoriginal music genres” 

Most original music artist award goes to…

So, who is spitting bars and rocking new riffs? Swifties, you’re going to want to sit down for this. It’s not Taylor Swift. In fact, it’s not any artist from the Top Pop charts at all. The most original artist was Zach Bryan with an originality score of 73.4, the highest rating of all artists. Whether it was his spoken word poem “Fear and Fridays” or his ability to navigate cross-genre melody like it’s his job. Not only did he have one of the lowest plagiarism scores, all 197 songs returned had some of the highest percentages of lyric-uniqueness. Bryan’s lyrical uniqueness and raw voice offer a breath of fresh air in a busy industry thus earning him the number one place. ?

Jumping across genres, the 2nd place spotlight falls on hip-hop genius J. Cole. With an originality score of 64.5 out of 100, J. Cole claims silver. Known for his “clever storytelling techniques” he brings an edge to the hip-hop scene. Data takes this a step further by proving his low plagiarism score and having some of the most unique “song fingerprints” in the Shazam library. It’s Cole’s World and we’re just living in it! 

From J. Cole’s North Carolina stomping grounds, we’re heading to Canada to hand over the Bronze medal. Perhaps the most unique in nicknames too, Drizzy, Champaign Papi, or, most famously, Drake takes 3^rd place for most unique musical artist. With over 300 charted songs, it’s a miracle that he continuously releases one-of-a-kind hits. The sheer volume of released music Drake has works as a factor against him, with the chance of repetition high, but, in the most Drake fashion, he slides past the competition for some of the most original lyrics and musical patterns. In the words of Drizzy himself, “When writing the story of your life, don’t let anyone else hold the pen.” 

Biggest rip-off artists in the industry 

There are the Grammy nominees and then there are the wannabees. On the other end of the Top 20 artists, we’re throwing shade (respectfully) to some artists taking more than just a page out of their fellow musicians’ books.  

Apologies in advance, Daniel Auerbach, as The Black Keys was labeled the biggest rip-off artist/band in the charts right now with only a score of 10/100 for originality. Not all that long ago, Jack White, lead singer of The White Stripes, slammed the band for ripping off all their music and, well, the data doesn’t lie. Averaging a 32% infringement for all their songs and a high riff match to other songs, we understand why Reddit user [deleted] said, “The Black Keys use the same exact riff and don’t even try to bend it.” Ouch. 

Dua Lipa comes into the bottom 2, earning her the title of “rip-off artist” at only 11.1/100 originality. Funnily enough, Dua Lipa is her own worst enemy. The majority of the songs that were flagged for copy were her songs vs. her other songs. For example, Lipa’s song “Illusion” was a 44.56% match with her other hit “Houdini.” If ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?  

The bottom three seem more like sinking than swimming with Teddy Swims named third biggest rip-off artists in the charts with an originality score of 14.2/100. Swims started his musical career doing cover songs, but, according to the data, he didn’t venture too far from that with one of the highest co-written songs and royalties paid to other artists. He might be doing more than a bit of peaking on the music originality exam, but his vocals still remain unmatched. Just keep swimming, Teddy!?

The most original music genre 

Get the creative juices flowing, it’s time to spit the beat! Songs dedicated to zero repetition, complex rhyme schemes, and having freshly emerged in around the 1970’s…hip hop shines as the most original music genre at 100/100. Putting the Top 40 rap songs into the infringement check and you’ll find that, compared to other genres, they had the lowest plagiarism scores.  

The runner-up for rarity goes to rock! Don’t let The Black Keys scoring fool you: the genre at large has plenty to offer. Whether you’re being “Welcomed to the jungle” or to the “Black Parade” there’s depth in rock and the score proves this. Thanks to its structural variety and unique Shazam fingerprints, rock earned an originality score of 86.7. 

The music genre playing copycat 

When Skrillex said, “Yes, Oh my god!” in 2011, it felt revolutionary. The Tumblr Era rejoiced, but EDM hasn’t exactly stood the test of time. Electronic music was deemed the #1 most unoriginal genre out of all music. The data doesn’t have to say much for it to make sense: looped beats, sampled songs, and more of the same don’t give way to originality. Scoring 0/100 for originality, the electronic music genre has taken a beating, but one Quora user chalked it up to, “Because to music normies EDM refers to big room house, perhaps one of the lamest and most unoriginal genres out there.” Is house music to blame for such low scores??

The #2 most unoriginal genre goes to the Top 20. The top charts are known for riling a crowd, but not necessarily changing the world. Even with the Top 20 charts ranging in style, it wasn’t enough to give it the gold. Songs that will eventually end up on Spotify’s famed “Songs White Girls Get Excited About” playlist earned an originality score of only 15.6/100. 

Cover or creative? Top songs that are anything but original?

Let’s not fault Jojo Siwa for thinking she single-handedly created gay pop – she did, after all, create her own version of post-Disney, bubblegum gay pop. Point being, sometimes artists are only as known (or roasted) as their most famed songs. So here are the songs, and not the musicians, that took a little bit more than artistic liberty on these songs and ended up with a high rip-off score.  

Beyonce didn’t do so hot on the originality score as an artist (17.8/100 originality), but her new hit “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” was swizzling with uniqueness. Receiving the highest score of 100/100, the data adds a layer of proof to the headlines: Beyonce is reinventing country music. How many other songs start spouting off “this ain’t Texas”? Nine! 9 out of around 83 million! 

It’s Stick Season, baby! Noah Kahan scored well on artist originality at #5, but his hit song “Stick Season” especially stands out. At a uniqueness score of 86.1, Kahan paints an unmatched image of Vermont in only 3 minutes and 17 seconds rightfully putting “Stick Season” in 2^nd place for most original song on the charts.?

As the title implies, “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone is musical magic. A TikTok top hit, Beautiful Things knows variety like no other with the melody patterns and its “pop ballad” style. The lyrics wouldn’t win a Pulitzer, but its sound brings a uniqueness to its otherwise reproduced category of TikTok songs earning it 3rd place. 

Summary 

Originality is music to our ears. Whether we’re throwing it back to Fall Out Boy or letting Beyonce “yeehaw” us through her unparalleled take on country, there are so many unique melodies to delight in (despite the inevitable junk within an 83 million-song selection). And if anyone tells you your music taste in bland, remember that Taylor said, “haters gonna hate” and all we have to do is shake it off!?

*Music fades out*  

Methodology  

Using quantitative metrics, we evaluated relevant factors to create a weighted score to determine the originality of songs, artists, and labels. The mentioned factors were: 

• Lyrical match: taking a sample of the lyrics in a song and putting it against the music library to determine the % of repetition in words, phrases, and rhyme structure 
• Shazam fingerprint: using the logic of Shazam’s song identification process, we timed how long it took the software to identify the song concluding that the faster it took to identify the song, the more unique it was 
• AI music plagiarism: by using the AI tool called MIPP we were able to have each song scraped against the entire YouTube database to determine the % of similarity to other songs 
• Royalties: we took historical data to determine what artists had to pay other artists royalties for using the intellectual property (their songs)  

Disclaimer  

There is no commercial association between Casino.org and the artists/labels/songs/trademarks listed. Trademarks and copyrights to named artists, songs, and otherwise belong to their respective owner(s) which are not associated or affiliated with Casino.org and did not license rights, authorize, or sponsor these findings or study. 

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Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.????

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Although more and more video games are moving away from the traditional disk-in console, games still consume energy and lots of it. We’ve come a long way from the plastic, clunky cartridges that were once used to fuel our fun, but digital isn’t necessarily better.  

We’ve compiled the factors contributing to carbon emissions from video games, such as server-usage, manpower, updates, and console energy consumption to create an accurate estimate of carbon emissions per video game. Analyzing the top 20 video games of the 21^st century, we were able to identify the environmental heroes and the carbon-consuming culprits.  

Along with quantified carbon emission estimates for each game, we analyzed the top video game companies as well as digestible comparisons to understand the true impact of video games on the environment. 

Key Findings:  

• Grand Theft Auto is estimated to produce the most carbon emissions in the gaming industry 
• The famous Fortnite ranks #2 for carbon emissions  
• Electronic Arts, home of FIFA and The Sims, ranks #1 most environmentally conscious, producing the lowest amount of carbon emissions 
• The average gamer expends 158 pounds of CO2e per year 

Getting to the exact Carbon Emission amount 

It’s important to note that, despite public pressure for gaming and gambling companies to publish their emissions, it was no easy task to calculate the carbon consequences of each game and company. For the companies that did offer public data regarding their environmental stakes, we were able to easily determine the carbon emissions based on the amount of games in the company and the share of each game.?

For the companies that don’t publicly share their carbon emissions, we were able to calculate the carbon emissions by calculating their market share against the gaming industry’s total carbon emissions of 24 million tons of CO2e per year. 

Video Games with the Most Carbon Emissions  

It only makes sense that the virtual gas-guzzling game translates to the most real-life damage. Grand Theft Auto, in all its Hummer stealing and police-chasing glory, has the highest estimated carbon emissions in the industry.  

The GTA franchise, housed by Rockstar Games, accounts for 4.76 CO2e per year per user. For those of us not adept in our carbon comprehension, this is 81% higher than the average of 2.01 CO2e. To put it into layman’s terms: playing a year’s worth of GTA is equal to 12,174 miles driven in a gasoline-powered car. A virtual GTA road trip might as well be worth a real one! 

Rockstar isn’t the only one in the ecological hot seat. Epic Games takes first place for the highest carbon emissions at the company level. Epic Games has an estimated 24 million?tons of carbon emissions per year. That’s?quite a few?international flights. Although it may seem like a lot (and it is, let’s be clear) the number can largely be attributed to the vast number of players the company attracts. Fortnite, the largest game in their portfolio boasts a whopping 650 million registered users. 650 million players need a whole lot of server power and thus lies the answers to all the zeros behind their carbon emissions net number.?

While specific data is harder to come by in the online gambling sphere, high-traffic casino sites with complex graphics and live dealer games tend to have higher energy consumption and, thus, higher carbon emissions.

Most Environmentally Friendly Video Games 

Not all is lost, however. Planting a tree in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Reckon Breakpoint results in a tree planted in real life! Green gamers aren’t necessarily a myth or marketing scheme, as some companies are making it happen.  

Electronic Arts, home to The Sims and FIFA, reported the lowest amount of carbon emissions, 8,100 CO2e out of all publicly offered data in the industry. So, Sims your heart out! You’ll feel a lot better knowing that out of all the major gaming industries, this one will hurt the least with only .29 lbs. of CO2e per year per average user.  

In the online gambling world, some casino platforms are adopting energy-efficient technologies and green hosting solutions to minimize their carbon footprint. Simple, text-based games like poker or blackjack tend to have lower energy requirements compared to graphically intensive slot games or live dealer setups.

Video Games Most Likely to Achieve Carbon Neutrality?

Unfortunately, another environmental unknown is just how much these companies are doing to improve their carbon footprint. As gamers, we remain largely in the dark about what goes on behind closed doors and just get to see the magic that appears on our screens. Some companies, however, have been forward about their contributions and are making plans to change it. Of the companies who listed their carbon neutrality goal date these, this is the intended timeline: 

• 2027: Electronic Arts 
• 2030: Epic Games 
• 2050: Riot Games, Nintendo, and Activision Blizzard 

Other companies like Roblox, who have made no public mention of any environmental efforts, remain a mystery when it comes to their carbon neutrality. 

How many trees needed to be planted to offset emissions from gaming 

Up to this point you might be feeling gloom and doom, but alas, there’s light at the end of this tunnel! You don’t have to game in vain as the exact amount of “carbon sequestered” can be calculated. Knowing what we know, that the average gamer expends 158 lbs. per year, your typical gamer would need to plant 2.77 trees per year to offset their emissions. In the scheme of things, it’s not all that bad!

For online gamblers, the footprint can vary widely depending on usage patterns and the types of games played. However, as a rough estimate, if we assume similar usage patterns to video gaming, the tree planting requirements would be in a comparable range.

A carbon conclusion 

You don’t need to bury the Xbox to save the planet, nor do you need to boycott Fortnite and glorify FIFA. Gaming is meant to be fun, but carries a soft reminder that even the seemingly harmless can carry environmental consequences. So press play! But be sure to plant a tree or two while you’re at it – your virtual self will thank you for it. ?

As the digital entertainment industry continues to grow, including both video games and online gambling, it’s crucial for companies and users alike to consider their environmental impact. Whether you’re exploring virtual worlds or trying your luck at online slots, being mindful of your digital carbon footprint can make a real difference.

Methodology 

Using quantitative observation and secondary data, we evaluated metrics typically used to determine carbon emissions based on the data provided by companies in their public, environmental reports. This data was then mapped against the user numbers as well as environmental industry data, which allowed us to also look at the scale of offsetting needed to mitigate these emissions. 

Disclaimer 

There is no commercial association between Casino.org and the brands/companies listed. Trademarks and copyrights to named brands belong to their respective owner(s) which are not associated or affiliated with Casino.org and did not license rights, authorize, or sponsor these findings or study.  

Fair Use   

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.   

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org 

We surveyed 3,000 Americans to determine the true sentiment of the holiday. For those participating, we wanted to know what pranks they’re planning to pull, who they’re pulling them on, and more. For the naysayers, we were curious to learn what makes April Fool’s a negative for them. When we realized most negativity surrounding April Fool’s Day pertained to the workplace, we ran follow-up data to dig deeper. Combining the findings, we got some interesting insights on the prankster’s holiday. 

Key Findings:  

• 86% of respondents said that April Fools’ pranks were inappropriate in an office setting 
• Of the pranks that workers plan to pull, “jump scares” were stated at the most popular by 51% 
• 32% said they found April Fool’s annoying, 26% found it fun, and 32% described it as “harmless” 

April Cruel’s Day in the workplace, How Americans feel about office pranks?

Dwight Schrute, from the famed The Office show, screams “Argh, he put my stuff in Jello again!” Over the span of nine seasons, Jim pulled 117 pranks around the office, some seemingly harmless, like paying his coworkers five dollars to call Dwight “Dwayne” for an entire day, while others not so much.  

When asked, an overwhelming 86.3% of respondents said that pranks were inappropriate in the workplace. 82% said pranks should be reserved only for settings amongst friends. The prank is in the eye of the beholder, which is why the majority felt that the workplace is not the place to do it.  

If you are insistent on pulling a gag, Americans noted “jump scares” as the most harmless prank to pull by 50.7%. Prank calls were also deemed 47% acceptable, followed by plastic bugs at 32% (ew).  

And whatever you do, don’t pull a Sabrina Carpenter and fake a pregnancy for April Fool’s Day. 92% of respondents found fake pregnancy pranks to be a big no-no.  

Pranksters of America: states, demographics, and more?

Some of us are more inclined to practical jokes than others. A whoopee cushion under the seat gives some a chuckle and others an eye roll. Who enjoys this day of tomfoolery the most?  

Our hats are off to Montana for first place, earning the highest participation rate in the country for April Fool’s Day. 63% are keen to a jump scare joke while another 50% find prank calls and plastic bugs fun for April Fool’s Day. Only 13% of the Big Sky Country state found the holiday to be a negative. Prank on, Montana! 

Rhode Island and Louisiana came their respective second and third places for prank participation. On the other side of the silliness spectrum, West Virginia maintains a stern dissent towards the holiday with 97% claiming they won’t be participating this year. 

Age plays a factor too. Interestingly, both young and old like the April Fool’s holiday. The age groups 18-25 years old gave the holiday the highest rating of 5/10, as did the 60+ community. It was the age brackets between 26-59 years old that hovered only slightly above 4.1/10, a 20% difference between the two scores.  

And what about the battle of the sexes? Only 18% of women regularly participate in April Fool’s Day. Comparatively, nearly a quarter of men participate in April Fool’s Day every year in some capacity. Transgender respondents answered 56% “no” to participating in April Fool’s Day.  

Most prankster city goes to…?

Where is the prank capital of the US? Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania takes the clown crown with the highest participation in April Fool’s Pranks amongst all major US cities. 75% of “yinzers” shared positive sentiments towards the holiday. Dallas comes in second place as America’s antics capital with 73% speaking highly of the holiday. St. Louis, Detroit, and Los Angeles earned the respective third, fourth, and fifth places.  

The Summary Stunt?

You might want to hold off on your fake lottery winnings as most Americans simply aren’t in the mood this year. With a narrow number of 20% planning to participate in April Fool’s Day 2024, a knock-knock joke might be a better alternative.  

If you can’t resist the call to high jinks, we recommend you keep it light. Americans signal the “OK” for jokes like jump scares, prank calls, and plastic bugs, but anything more serious might be frowned upon. Happy Pranksgiving to all!  

Methodology?

In March 2024, we surveyed 3,000 Americans asking a number of questions regarding sentiment surrounding April Fool’s Day, prank culture, and more. The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Over half — 56% — were female, 42% were male, 1% identified as trans or non-binary, and 1% listed “other”.  

Fair Use??

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.  

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org 

Biggest pillow fight, fastest nose-typing, and stretchiest skin – we’re talking about the Guinness Book of World Records. As it turns out, Sin City is all about writing the history of the best, the weirdest, and the wildest. Vegas has found its claim to fame in more ways than one, but its mark in the Guinness Book of World Records is unmatched. 

Now, you can get a piece of the record-breaking pie. We’re determined to break the 2017 record for Most Casinos Visited in 24 Hours. For the true casino-afficionados, adventure-seekers, and night owl enthusiasts: this is the competition for you. 

What’s in it for you? An all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas, the best night of your life, and the chance at glory! The selected winner will be flown to Las Vegas for a three-night stay. During the trip, the winner will attempt to gamble at as many casinos as possible in 24 hours to overtake the current record of 74. We’re sweetening the deal by offering a $3,000 cash prize for a successful new record. It’s important to note that the competition is only open to US applicants. Think you’ve got what it takes? 

Making history has never been more fun and now’s your chance to put your eye (and dye) on the prize. Daredevils will need to do the following: 

How it works 

1. Read the terms and conditions and go to the application page (now closed) 

2. Tell us why you think you should be the record breaker. This can be either a short essay (around 300 words) or a video submission (less than 2 minutes) sharing your motivations for entry 

3. Wait for the winner to be announced following the competition closing on April 30, 2024 

4. Pack your bags and get ready for your all-expense paid trip to Vegas  

5. If you successfully break the Most Visited Casinos in 24 Hours record, you’ll win an additional $3,000 cash prize 

Disclaimer 

Casino.org has no affiliation with ? Guinness World Records in any capacity. Casino.org is not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, maintained, authorized, or sponsored by the ? Guinness World Records brand. The use of any trade name or trademark is for identification and reference purposes only. Terms and conditions can be found here. 

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We dove deep into the data to evaluate factors that help define what a “good nosebleed” seat consists of, as oxymoronic as it sounds. The factors were as follows:  

• View Quality: Assess the visibility of the playing field or stage from the nosebleed seats. Considering factors like sightlines and obstructions 
• Height: Measure the height of the highest nose bleeds from the ground and compare that with the elevation of the stadium’s location 
• Price: Evaluate the affordability of the nosebleed seats compared to other seating options in the stadium. Consider the starting price for nosebleed seats 
• Accessibility: Examine the ease of access to and from the nosebleed seats using 8 ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) factors 
• Atmosphere: Evaluate the atmosphere and energy in the nosebleed seats section. Consider factors like crowd engagement and attendance 
• Customer Reviews: Incorporate feedback and reviews from previous attendees who have experienced the nosebleed seats by scraping Tripadvisor reviews for “nosebleed” seats 

With such factors defined we were able to collect the data and weigh each factor in accordance with its importance to overall “nose-bleedness.” From there, we indexed each stadium based on the weighted score.  

Key findings: 

• The worst stadium for nosebleeds goes to the Chicago Bull’s United Center scoring 12/100 
• Green Bay Packer’s Lambeau Field was considered the #1 best stadium for nosebleeds 
• The major league to have the overall best nosebleed seats was the NFL 
• Coors Field was the location most likely to actually give you a nosebleed  

The Nation’s Best Nosebleed Seats 

When you see that your assigned seat is 600-something, some might gasp, but others might celebrate all the same. Not all nosebleed seats are created equal, and, in fact, some nosebleeds can actually offer a real good time, bar the minor altitude sickness.  

The best nosebleed seats in the US go to the Green Bay Packer’s Lambeau Field. It’s no secret that Cheeseheads know how to party, and the sentiment holds, even from the rafters. With the highest score on the nosebleed index, Packers fans take home a perfect 100/100. Although some of the pricier starting points in professional sports, a minimum of $105 if you’re lucky, Lambeau Field has proven it’s worth every penny. When we scraped the Tripadvisor reviews for nosebleed seats, we found nothing but positivity. One fan even went on to call it the “holy grail of the NFL.” How’s that for a rave review? 

With a minimum amount of obstructed view seats and high crowd engagement scores, the nosebleeds in Green Bay are bound to be a joy. You may not get to indulge in the “Lambeau Leap” from way up above, but the fandom is all the same from VIP to cloud-level seating. 

Keeping it in the NFL family, second place goes to CenturyLink/Lumen Field, home to both the Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Founders. Seahawks fans pride themselves on their 2x Guinness World Record for crowd roar, if it gives any clue to how exciting these nosebleeds can be. Fans can expect high accessibility with the stadium scoring 8/8 on our ADA-factors score, a great atmosphere, and reasonably priced tickets, starting at $80.  

Can we get a yeehaw? Third place goes to the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium. To round off our top three, we’re lassoing one of Texas’ biggest and best sports arenas. AT&T Stadium takes the cake for unique reasons. In addition to traditional “nosebleeds,” this stadium added a standing section for the true devotees. They may not be the most comfortable seats in the house, sans seats of course, but at a value of $29, you get what you pay for, nosebleeds and all.  

Worst Nosebleed Seats in the Country Goes to… 

We don’t want to bull you around, on this one. Fans have rightful beef with as the Chicago Bull’s United Center comes in #1 for worst nosebleeds in the country. Despite having the second largest fanbase in the NBA franchise, the Bull’s home court isn’t paying nearly as much gratitude as it should. Their 16.7 million fans have to face steep inclines up to their 140-foot-high seats and at a pretty penny too. At one of the costliest starting price points out of all major league sports, even the least significant game starts at $107.00. And your precious life savings could look like this: 

But hey, at least you’ll be able to see the giant, inflatable bull mascot from any seat in the house! ?

We’re tossing the ball to another NBA stadium for the second worst in nosebleed seats in the country. The Brooklyn Net’s home court of Barclay’s Center came in second to last for nosebleed seats. Scoring a 13/100, 70% lower than its NBA equivalent at large.  Below we can see a WWE event held at the Barclays Center, where the user goes on to comment, “Clear view of the ring however if this was basketball or hockey the view would be blocked.”

Despite recent stardom, the third to last place stadium goes to Allegiant Stadium. As one of the newer sports stadiums in the country, hopes were high for a five-star experience regardless of the section. Where they delivered in some areas, they fell short in others. Although Allegiant Stadium is the second-most expensive stadium in the world, most of that money was funneled into the VIP sections, with little thought to the high-up seats. The steeper-than-steep climb to the nosebleeds results in a low accessibility score paired with the literal probability of getting a nosebleed during the game (elevation + seat height), making the Raiders’ home stadium rank low.  

Best Fans in the ‘Bleeds  

They say “location, location, location” but for some die-hard fans, location is only a minor play in game day hype. Back to the hootin’ and hollerin’ of Texas, AT&T Stadium comes in first place for atmosphere and crowd engagement. On average, the Cowboys reel in 93594 fans for each home game. The stadium’s capacity sits at 105,000, meaning an 89% occupancy rate. Talk about die-hard fans!  

Interestingly, the Cowboys also ranked the #1 most hated franchise in the league, according to a recent study. Perhaps the hate fuels their team spirit? Their attendance isn’t the only measure, as 1 in 10 Cowboy Fans also believe they have the best game-day atmosphere in the league. How ‘bout them Cowboys?!  

The Giants and Jets home arena brings out “the New Yorker in them” as the MetLife Stadium ranked #2 for best nosebleed atmosphere. The MetLife Stadium, in its full, actually ranks as one of the worst stadiums in the league, but nose-bleeders would beg to differ. When The Athletic interviewed NFL players, the majority listed MetLife as the worst to play in. Maybe the on-the-ground experience is a bust, but the turf is greener on the upper side at MetLife. Averaging some record attendance between the Jets and the Giants, the stadium stays lively. Amongst other factors, their crowd engagement score earned them second-best nosebleed fans.  

Best and Worst Professional Sports League for Nosebleed Seats 

Regardless of teams, each league has its own style of stadium. Basketball offers a narrow, but small setting, the NFL circles fans around its wide field, and baseball clusters spectators in a C-shape. Some leagues are better than others when it comes to nosebleed bliss.  

The #1 major league sport for best nosebleed seating goes to the NFL. With the top 10 out of 35 major sports arenas in the US being NFL stadiums, football nosebleeds are the clear winner. The landscape of the field offers wide views for catching all the plays meaning minimally obstructed views as compared to the MLB, for example, which must accommodate nets, structural columns, etc. Plus a good ole’ fashion tailgate before the game doesn’t hurt to get even the worst of seats in the mood for fandom.  

“Take me out to the ballgame” can be sung and enjoyed from even the highest of seats. The MLB ranked second for major league sports arenas. With the majority of MLB arenas boasting open-air seating and a tolerable height from the ground, these nosebleeds aren’t the best but aren’t the worst either. 

Get your spectacles ready as the NBA ranks the worst major sports league for nosebleed seating. NBA arenas had the steepest climb out of all the leagues and a higher percentage of obstructed view seats. Better to let your wallet bleed and buy a better seat when it comes to the NBA. 

Where you’re most likely to get an actual nosebleed  

They don’t call it nosebleeds for nothing, right? Although meant to be hyperbolic, there’s some truth to the term. Higher altitudes, thinner air, and a drastic change in temperature can actually cause your gameday to go from rad to red-stained. So which stadiums do you have a higher chance of getting a nosebleed? 

The Colorado Rockies’ home at Coors Field might make you a bit uneasy when it comes to altitude. At 5,200 feet above sea level, it’s the highest sports arena in the country. Air density is only 82% of what it is at sea level which could be just cause for both nosebleeds and curve balls according to some defensive fans. As the major league leader in “park factor”, we can understand why.  

A bloody debrief 

We hope you don’t ever have to put truth to the trope, but at least you know which stadiums to steer clear of and where you can rally with the rest of them. Put on your cheese hat and hit the nosebleeds at Lambeau Field or have a rowdy good time in the rafters at Lumen Field. On the flip side, and for the sake of your sinuses, stay away from the United Center and Barclays Center. You’ve been bloody warned! 

Methodology 

Using quantitative observation, web scraping, and secondary data, we collected different metrics from the top 35 major sports arenas in the US. We determined the 35 most “prominent” arenas by summing these factors:  

• Capacity: The stadiums with the largest seating capacities 
• Historical Significance: Stadiums listed have a long history of hosting important sports events and are iconic landmarks in their respective cities 
• Professional Sports Teams: The stadiums are home to professional sports teams that compete in popular leagues such as the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS 

We then weighed each factor for “nosebleeds” according to importance and relevance. Finally, we combined these numbers to create a score and rank regarding seats in the claimed “nosebleed” sections. 

Fair Use 

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors. 

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org 

We asked 4,000 Americans if they would move abroad following a negative presidential outcome and where they’d like to go. We also asked a couple of other sentiment questions regarding motivations for moving, likelihood, and more.  

Key findings: 

• 1 in 5 Americans would choose Canada for immigration if the election results are negative 
• The UK was the 2^nd most desirable place to relocate for Americans post-election 
• 6 out of the top 10 countries were located in Europe, indicating a possible mass migration to this continent 
• The #1 most cited reason for wanting to move is culture followed by job opportunities (#2)?

Canada Named Most Likely Place of Immigration for Americans?

The lands up north aren’t looking so bad, eh? When it’s time to hit the road, Americans are seeking the easiest transition possible. The number one destination for post-election moves was Canada. Out of all 195 countries, 20% of respondents said that they’d choose Canada as their new home. Following the previous presidential election, the search term “move to Canada” skyrocketed 120% in the US after the results were announced showing that Canada has been top of mind for both this election cycle and the previous one. And it makes perfect sense. With the language being the same, the proximity, and the cultural fit, it’s an obvious choice.  

What’s interesting is that proximity was only important on the surface. When compared to our other neighbors, Mexico, only a slim 2% of respondents said they’d move to the Land of the Sun. Of those respondents, the majority were from states neighboring Mexico: Texas and Arizona.  

Pip, Pip, Cheerio! To the UK we go for 2^nd place?

What some of our ancestors didn’t know when they sailed over on the Mayflower was that it was actually a round trip. We’re trading in our cup of joe for tea parties, as The United Kingdom is the 2^nd most likely place for US immigration post-election. We have the Brits to thank for many of the customs we have in the US, so why not trace it back to the origins? Similar to Canada, the UK shares a similar culture and language, making assimilation that much easier.  

Of those that chose the UK as their top choice, 33% said they’d move for the culture, 27% for the employment opportunities, and 21% for the healthcare.  

Japan is the third most popular relocation destination for Americans?

The hustle and bustle of Tokyo contrasted with the calm of blossoming cherry blossoms: Japan has it all. With such a differing culture, Japan has quite the allure for Americans. 18% of all study-abroad students opt for Japan and Google Trends also shows a piqued interest search results showing an increase?of 100% over the last five years. ?All of this to say: Japan is a booming destination for Americans.?

Interest was already there for Americans to visit, but now a new idea starts to emerge: could I live there?  Americans listed Japan as the #3 destination they would like to move to if the election results turn for the worst. Almost half of all the respondents who chose Japan said culture was the top reason for moving there.  

On the Rosetta Stone Language Difficulty Scale, Japanese ranks in Category 5 as the most difficult, with only four other languages with the same level of difficulty. Based on the scale, native English speakers would require 2,200 hours of study to learn Japanese. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense that “language” was listed as the number one reason to not move there. ?

European vacation becomes European migration ?

Buongiorno, buenos dias, and bonjour, we’re looking at you, Europe! European destinations have always been a desired location for the big trips: honeymoons, college graduations, and more, but now it’s becoming more and more accessible. American travel to Europe has skyrocketed over the years with an increase of 55% just from last year alone. For some Americans, La Dolce Vita is no longer just a vacation mindset, but rather a newly adapted lifestyle in a new country.  

According to our findings, 6 out 10 of the top desired countries to move abroad post-election were European. Beyond the top 3 previously stated, Italy comes in 5^th, Ireland in 6^th, Switzerland 8^th, Spain 9^th, and France in 10^th. But how are those countries taking to the US? Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes surveys reveal American unfavorability/favorability per country, with European highlights including:?

• France: 41% unfavorability towards Americans 
• Italy: 37% unfavorability towards Americans 
• Spain: 39% unfavorability towards Americans 
• Sweden: 41% unfavorability towards Americans 
• Germany: 40% unfavorability towards Americans 

The research goes to show: although Americans are eager to live the Mediterranean way, Europeans aren’t quite as thrilled to open their doors. 

Why Americans would leave after the election?

The US has plenty to offer: breakfast burritos, baseball, and a suspicious obsession with using a non-metric system. With that said, not all is as it’s hyped up to be in the land of stars and stripes. What are some reasons that Americans would want to leave their home country? ?

30.40% would leave for the culture. America, in all its beauty, offers a great culture, but the grass is always greener on the other side, right? Whether they want to run with the bulls in Spain, celebrate carnival in Brazil, or castle hop in Ireland, Americans are happy to leave the US to experience new cultures. ?

Amidst waves of layoffs, job security becomes all the more important. 20.3% feel job opportunities are better abroad and cited that as the reason they would leave. The third most cited reason for moving abroad was healthcare at 19.4%.  

Before you pack your bags?

Life seems good on the other side, but don’t buy your plane tickets yet. 59% of respondents find it unlikely that they’ll actually move abroad after the election. With visa complications, moving costs, and the challenges of assimilating to a new country, most Americans are more likely to try to fix what they’ve got rather than seek greener pastures. ?

Methodology?

We surveyed over 4,000 Americans in February 2024 to discover the sentiment of moving abroad after the 2024 Presidential election and where they would move. The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Over half — 56% — were female, 42% were male, 1% identified as trans or non-binary, and 1% listed “other”. 

Fair Use?

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors. 

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org 

Love is a battlefield and so are the gifts that surround it. What does a partner actually want to receive? How much is too much and is a $20 gift considered “cheap”? Is three dates enough to buy your love interest a gift? A card?

We were just as curious when it came to the (monetary) matters of the heart, so we took to the masses. By interviewing 4,000 participants across the US we were able to gather American sentiment around Valentine’s Day gifts, how much should be spent, the timeline for giving a gift, and more. 

Key Findings:

• Americans will spend $51.32 on Valentine’s Day gifts this year, on average
• Idaho had the highest V-Day spend at $84.38, Alaska had the lowest spend at $20
• Dinner was the #1 choice for a gift while underwear is the most poorly received Valentine’s Day gift

Big-ballers, Shot Callers: States Spending the Most on Valentine’s Day

Roll out the red carpet because the big Valentine’s Day spenders are here. If you’re hoping for rose petals on the bed, Dom Pérignon in the fridge, and maybe a bit of bling-bling, some states offer a better bet than others. When we asked participants from each state how much they were planning to spend for the upcoming holiday, some didn’t hold back!

If you want to spend Valentine’s Day in luxury, you’ll have to head to the potato state, as Idaho ranks #1 biggest spender for Valentine’s Day gifts. These studs are giving more than just spuds with an average spending of $84.38. Right now the average cost of roses in the US is around $80 (yikes, we know), so Idaho is feeling generous enough to throw in a box of chocolates too. 

Heading to the East Coast, a second-place winner emerges. They don’t call it the Diamond State for nothing as Delaware ranks #2 biggest Valentine’s Day spenders. Small in size, mighty in spending power: Delawareans will spend $78.13 on average this Valentine’s Day.?

The third-place winners follow closely behind. Oregon ranks #3 biggest Valentine’s Day spenders with an average of $77.50 on gifts. Just remember, Oregon, and Portland even more so, is considered a weirdly wonderful place, so don’t expect that $80 to go to your typical bouquet of flowers. America’s weirdest Valentine’s Day gifts are covered later, so hold onto your (heart-shaped) hats. 

Cities projected to spend the most this Valentine’s Day

If we get more granular we can see that some cities defy their state average. Where their state counterparts might be stingy, these cities are going all out! The top spender cities were as follows: 

1. Houston – $105.27
2. Atlanta – $89.04
3. Myrtle Beach – $87.50
4. Phoenix – $85.63
5. Dallas – $79.25
6. Baltimore – $78.75
7. Tampa – $73.75
8. Denver – $71.79
9. Detroit – $67.15
10. San Francisco – $65.36

If you’re from any of these big 10, you can expect a gracious gift this Valentine’s Day, but remember: it’s a two-way street down lover’s lane!

The Cheapskates of Valentine’s Day

We’ve celebrated the most lavish of lovers, but what about those who are sore to spend on amor? Praise be the Idahos and Delawares of the world, but we’ve got to call out the other side of the spectrum too. 

Our stingiest Valentine’s Day gift-givers have hearts possibly just as frozen as the lands they live on. That’s right- Alaska takes first place for the stingiest Valentine’s Day spending in the country. On average, Alaskan couples will spend $20 for gifts this February 14. Not all is lost, however. Over half of Alaskans said they prefer homemade to store-bought gifts for the holiday. It’s the thought that counts!

America’s Dairyland: known for their kindheartedness and cheese-loving spirit. Wisconsin is known for many things, but gift-giving isn’t one, unfortunately. Wisconsin ranked #2 stingiest state when it came to Valentine’s Day spending. On the plus side, 84% of Wisconsites said that a card is enough for Valentine’s Day so at least expectations are met. The latest data shows a greeting card will run you about $5, so Wisconsin’s average Valentine’s Day spending of $30.26 won’t get you much further than a card and candy.

To top off the bottom three, Iowa hits the hot seat. Iowa ranks the third stingiest Valentine’s Day gifters with an average spend of $34.77. On the flipside, Iowa comes in #5 for lowest cost of living, so we can imagine that the dollar for devotion stretches a bit further in the Hawkeye State.?

Best and Worst Gifts to Give

The 93” Giant Teddy Bear from Costco is $399.99 and just because it costs a lot doesn’t mean it’s nearly as wanted. Every year, partners half-smile through the unpackaging of their new vacuum cleaners or hard swallow a box of plastic-tasting chocolates. Through the moans and groans, we wanted to know: what is it that people really want for Valentine’s Day? The proof is in the (data) pudding.

Hungry for a happy Valentine’s Day? So is the rest of the nation! The #1 favored gift for Valentine’s Day was dinner. A candle-lit meal at your sweetheart’s favorite restaurant will do just the trick. Following a flavorful theme, the second-best Valentine’s Day gift goes to chocolates.?

Food may be the greatest of gifts, but you can’t go wrong with bling-bling! Jewelry ranked #3 for top gift to receive. It’s worth noting that women put jewelry as a top choice 96% more than men. It’s true what they say, diamonds are a girl’s best friend.

There are winners and losers on this day of affection. The #1 worst gift was underwear with 99% of respondents saying this would be the worst gift to receive. The bottom two goes to household appliances. Although a robot vacuum cleaner is handy, it certainly doesn’t scream romantic for 96% of respondents. To round off the bottom three, stuffed animals ranks third worst gift to receive for Valentine’s Day. Save Teddy for the tots this Valentine’s Day. 

Timeline for gift giving: what’s considered acceptable by popular vote

What’s the line between creepy and caring when it comes to gift giving timelines for V-Day? Is a couple of dates too soon to gift give on February 14? 4,000 Americans weighed in on the exact timeline they believe is appropriate to gift someone a Valentine’s Day present.

Over half of Americans agree that the sweet spot of Valentine’s Day gifts is after 1-3 months of dating. The romance is still blooming, but a small gift wouldn’t hurt at this stage. Another 26% believe that the right time is 6 months after dating.  A small 9% of extremists believe that Valentine’s Day gifts shouldn’t even be considered until over a year of dating! 

Men vs. Women: What’s an acceptable gift??

Love may be a universal language, but we’ve found that men and women speak it quite differently. What constitutes as “heart-eyes” for men, might be a real eye-roll emoji for women, and the reverse. 

Let’s start with the card. We asked male and female respondents if a card is good enough for Valentine’s Day or if there should be a gift to accompany it. Surprisingly, the majority of men (54%) said a card is not enough while 65% of women said just a card is fine. There goes the myth of women being high-maintenance! 

Both men and women agreed that dinner was the best gift to receive, but they diverged on their second and third-best options. Where men said chocolate would be a good #2 gift to receive, women cited jewelry as their second choice for a Valentine’s Day gift. The third best option was flowers for women and a gift card for men. 

How much are men and women expecting their darlings to spend? The numbers are in and, ladies, get the wallets out. Women expect their male partners to spend $49.59, but men expect their female partners to spend more, $60.61 to be exact! 

*Insufficient data for transgender, non-binary, other gender identities, and non-heterosexual relationships to draw conclusive findings.

Weirdest Valentine’s Day Gifts from Survey Findings

As a little cherry on top, we’re uncovering the weirdest gifts Americans have ever received as well. Below we’ve categorized the strangest gifts with the top responses.

Edible and Food-Related: 18%

Boxes of produce

Clothing and Accessories: 17%

Edible underwear

Artistic and Handmade: 11%

Poorly done hand-drawn portraits

Entertainment and Media: 10%

Unwanted DVD’s

Tech and Gadgets: 7%

Backscratchers

Plants and Animals: 18%

Venus flytraps

Miscellaneous: 12%

Ties, guns, toothbrushes, Trump merch

Although these were the top answers, we’re tipping our hats to those poor souls who received a bundle of hair (!!) from their partners, Cheech and Chong figurines, a toilet plunger, and…Chex Mix. Roses are so mainstream, right?

The romance rundown

Remember when love is in the air, you better hope there’s at least $51.32 in your wallet, as that’s the expected Valentine’s Day budget for Americans. Who says you can’t put a price on love? With dinner, chocolates, and jewelry coming into the top places for gifts, we would argue otherwise. If all else fails, just remember that 42% of Americans are okay with homemade gifts. So you might just get away with that handwritten note instead of a Michelin-star dinner. Maybe. 

Methodology

We surveyed over 4,000 Americans in January 2024 to discover the gift-giving habits and sentiment surrounding Valentine’s Day. The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Over half — 56% — were female, 42% were male, 1% identified as trans or non-binary, and 1% listed “other”.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

We dove headfirst into Google Trends and Tripadvisor to determine the top “rip-offs” people were talking about at national, state, and local levels. From there we used the top lists to survey 5,000 participants. From the findings, we were able to separate the downright deceptions from the attractions worth the money. 

Key highlights:

• Disney World ranks as the #1 biggest US tourist attraction rip-off
• Respondents stated the worst generic rip-offs included: college textbooks (#1), credit scores (#2), and movie theater snacks (#3)
• State fairs, ski resorts, and theme parks, ranked amongst the biggest rip-offs on a state level

Top rip-offs we can all agree on

“You know what really grinds my gears,” turns out to be a shared experience. There are certain money grabs that are a universal peeve. When we asked respondents to share their biggest gripes based on the summarized rip-offs list we were left with some clear winners. 

One thing we can all agree on is that college textbooks are the biggest rip-off ever. An extra $200 just because the latest addition has two new pages added? You’ll only need to use it twice? The price of knowledge is a steep one! Americans, without hesitation, rated college textbooks as the #1 biggest rip-off of all. 

If it wasn’t already made clear, the whole “adulting” thing in general is a rip-off, but, to be more specific, so are credit scores. The bread and butter of surviving in the US all comes back to the swipe of an American Express card or getting (and paying) as many bills as possible. Credit Scores ranked as the #2 biggest, universal rip-off according to respondents. The kicker? If you want to know your credit score, you can expect a dent in your credit just by checking the number. It’s a real credit quandary!

To round off the top three, we need to head to the movies. The joy of catching a flick on the weekend is shadowed by the absurd sum you’re expected to pay for the snack to go with it. Even an arm and a leg won’t cut it when it comes to the price of movie theater popcorn which is why respondents listed movie theater snacks as the third biggest, universal rip-off.  The smallest bag of popcorn will cost you, on average, $6.09 in the US today. With a 1,300% markup, it’s no wonder Americans consider it to be a corn-tastrophe. 

Honorable mentions go to the other tops (in descending order): hotel mini-bars, airport food and drink, cable television, brand-name products, specialty coffee, alcohol/desserts at restaurants, travel deals, and landline phones. Some write-ins included insurance, payday loans, medication, and student loans.

National Monuments ranked by rip-off status

Land of the free, home of the overpaying. Although some national parks and monuments are free, the majority are not. Not only is it not free, but it can also cost you a pretty penny. National Park admission fees, on average, are $30 per car; some are worth it, others not so much. Pair that with the other top US private attractions, like Disney World or the Space Needle, that charge exorbitant fees, we can see why some Americans are feeling scorned by visiting their nation’s most popular places.

Following the Tripadvisor results for the top 10 US attractions, we asked participants to rank what they thought was the biggest to least rip-offs according to their experiences. 60% of respondents concluded that Disney World is the biggest rip-off for US attractions. The happiest place on Earth turns out to be the “most scammy” place on Earth too as this top attraction ranks #1 for rip-offs. Starting at $109 per person for the most basic ticket, we start to see why Disney makes the top rip-off ranks. Ciao, Mickey Mouse! 

The nation’s capital is taking a blow too. DC, in and of itself, can be costly but some of the monuments simply aren’t worth the hassle either, according to respondents. The National Mall ranks second as the biggest rip-off for top US tourist attractions. Ironically, the National Mall itself is free, but respondents agree that the cost of getting there, the price of food and accommodation close by, and more simply make it not worth the hype. One Tripadvisor user writes, “Manipulators exploiting visitors for cash. Aggressive vendors heckled the tourists and blocked walkways. Trash and grocery carts adorn the main plazas,” putting rip-off to a new level. Another visitor shares, “No real stores…just a bunch of old buildings. They should probably rename it. Was a bit disappointed, was hoping for winter sales.” Well…yeah. 

So, which top US tourist attraction (shamefully) scores bronze? The Alamo ranks #3 biggest rip-off for US tourist attractions. Free on the surface, a real, fleshed-out visit is going to cost you. A self-guided tour is $20, a guided tour is $45, and group tours start at $20 per person. 731 out of 19,600 Tripadvisor reviews make mention of the Exhibits add-ons being a “must”, but it’s far from complimentary. Adding the Alamo Exhibit tickets will cost you an extra $14. Americans are saying no to the Alamo. 

The other seven, top US attractions were ranked by rip-off in order: Statue of Liberty, Space Needle, Gateway Arch, Navy Pier, Hoover Dam, Ole’ Faithful, and Glacier National Park. 

Top Rip-Offs by State?

Every state has its own money grab, be it the “World’s Biggest Insert-underwhelming-thing-here” or a theme park asking for a small fee of $60 just to park your car. What a time to be alive (and swindled). We asked participants from each of the 50 states to rank the state’s Tripadvisor top 5 attractions that they believe are rip-offs. 

1. Alabama: Visiting the University of Alabama?

2. Alaska: Visiting a glacier

3. Arizona: Wild West recreation towns

4. Arkansas: The Walmart Museum

5. California: Disneyland

6. Colorado: Aspen Ski Resort

7. Connecticut: Yale University

8. Delaware: Dover International Speedway

9. Florida: Disney World?

10. Georgia: Six Flags

11. Hawaii: Waikiki Beach

12. Idaho: Coeur d’Alene Lake

13. Illinois: Lollapalooza?

14. Indiana: Indy 500

15. Iowa: Iowa State Fair

16. Kansas: The ball of twine

17. Kentucky: Ark Encounter

18. Louisiana: French Quarter

19. Maine: Desert of Maine

20. Maryland: Ocean City Boardwalk

21. Massachusetts: Martha’s Vineyard

22. Michigan: Hell, Michigan

23. Minnesota: Mall of America

24. Mississippi: Beauvoir Estate

25. Missouri: Legoland

26. Montana: Big Sky Resort

27. Nebraska: Nebraska State Fair

28. Nevada: The Strip

29. New Hampshire: Castle in the Clouds

30. New Jersey: Atlantic City

31. New Mexico: Four Corners Monument

32. New York: The Hamptons

33. North Carolina: NASCAR Hall of Fame

34. North Dakota: The Pyramid of North Dakota

35. Ohio: Cedar Point

36. Oklahoma: Bricktown

37. Oregon: Pearl District

38. Pennsylvania: Hershey Park

39. Rhode Island: The Breakers

40. South Carolina: Visiting plantation gardens?

41. South Dakota: Bear Country USA

42. Tennessee: Graceland

43. Texas: Attending a rodeo

44. Utah: The Tabernacle

45. Vermont: Ben and Jerrys Factory Tour

46. Virginia: Virginia Beach Boardwalk

47. Washington: Space Needle

48. West Virginia: Mothman Museum

49. Wisconsin: Noah’s Ark Water Park

50. Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park

Summary

Nobody likes the feeling of being duped. Fortunately, we’ve done the dirty work of deciphering the rip-offs from the “worth its”. By looking at rip-offs on a local, state, national, and universal scale, the cons are clearer. From the ridiculous price tag of a college textbook to the cost of maintaining a dead landline, we now know rip-off from respectable.

Methodology

We initially gathered data by pooling the top results on Google Trends and Tripadvisor for US tourist attractions and keywords associated with “rip-off”. We then surveyed over 5,000 Americans in January 2024 to affirm and categorize this data. The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Over half — 56% — were female, 42% were male, 1% identified as trans or non-binary, and 1% listed “other”.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

Who is succumbing to influencer products the most? We looked across America to discover the most influenceable cities, states, and more. We also analyzed the most popular hauls and those we’re leaving behind (looking at you, Temu). Finally, we look at the products and industries most likely to persuade us to buy, namely Trader Joe’s hidden gems and Stanley Tumblers.

Highlights:

• Americans spend, on average, $36.11 per month on influencer-inspired purchases
• Nevada leads as the most “influenced state” with 88% regular social media purchases
• 48% of clothing purchased is a direct result of influencer content or ads
• Groceries are seeing one of the biggest effects with 40% of respondents buying food following influencer content and 35% claiming to watch grocery hauls

Most influenceable states across the US

We wanted to know which US states were scrolling Amazon like it was their full-time job. These are the people who watch a reel and, like a knee-jerk reaction, add to cart. As it turns out, some states make more influencer-inspired purchases than others and it’s not what you’d think. 

Officially, the Nevada slogan is “All for our country,” but off the record, we could coin it “an online shoppers paradise.” Why? Nevada comes into first place for making the most purchases from influencer content. 88% of Nevadans said they regularly buy things online that they’d learned about through influencer ads or content. So to say, only 12% of Nevadans aren’t falling trap to the grips of influencer products.

On the other side of the country too, Americans are hitting the “virtual” stores thanks to influencers. Kentucky came in second place for the most influencer-inspired online purchases at 86.6%, just behind Nevada. With 61% of these Kentucky consumers getting their content mostly from YouTube, we can go out on a limb and presume it’s a form of entertainment as well. With YouTube offering more long-form content in contrast to its other social media counterparts, we could see why it’s a favored platform for influencers hoping to make a buck. 

The competition was fierce for third place with Louisiana and Missouri coming to a tie. Both southern states are keen on social media purchases with 83% of respondents saying they regularly buy products from influencers they follow. 

On the flip side of things, some states are turning against influencer consumerism. Hawaii, Idaho, and Montana all tie for the bottom three least influenceable states, with these places only averaging less than $7 on influencer-inspired products per month. Take that, Amazon! 

What Americans are buying off social media

Scrolling through the feed and spending some cash seems to be a universal experience, but are we all buying the same stuff? In the dawn of the “As Seen On TV” commercials, everyone had a Shake Weight, Snuggie, George Foreman Grill, or all of the above if you came from one of those households. Cha-ching, internet bling!

On the whole, the largest dominating influencer-back industry is fashion. If the Shein-sponsored trip to China taught us anything, brands know that’s where the eyes are. Gone are the days when a front-of-store mannequin dictates what’s in and what’s out, we’re turning towards our screens to see what and who to buy from. Of all the product purchases made by social media users, 48% were clothing purchases. 

Interestingly enough, everything down to the food on our plates is “influenced”. A surprising 40% of influencer-inspired purchases were food. Even grocery stores are getting behind the influencer craze, with TikTok personalities sharing videos like “Whole Foods must-haves” and recipes calling for specific, name-brand items. Almost a quarter of those buying food products after seeing influencer content are no other than… millennials. 20% of millennials make up the influencer/food purchases at large. Can we blame the avocado toast boom on millennial influencers? Perhaps.

Battle of the Sexes: What women vs. men purchase from influencers

Influencer-inspired spending has largely (and wrongly) been seen as a female-only space. With products like makeup, skincare, and fashion dominating the influencer space, it might make sense, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Quite simply: men are buying too.

65% of male respondents said they have made an online purchase following something they saw from an influencer (compared to the female 80%). Although women have a 15% lead in frequency of purchase, men are making bigger purchases. On average, male respondents spend 30% more than women on influencer-inspired products. 

And what are those products exactly? Men and women alike elected fashion then food as their top influencer-inspired purchases, but third place is where it diverges. Women opt for skincare (22%) and men make fitness purchases from their favorite influencers (17%). Gym bros are taking to the online masses it seems!

These are America’s favorite platforms for influencer purchases (and no, it’s not TikTok)

If TikTok dances could be packaged and put in a box, someone would buy it. TikTok, although vast and chock full of content, is not the center of spending. The number one platform for buying products was YouTube by 31%. TikTok placed second at 27% then Instagram at 24%. Other platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest, Reddit, and Twitter fell below the ranks. 

America’s favorite hauls

Ah, the haul. For some, a haul is the new American dream: buying in bulk a bunch of stuff you probably don’t need and then telling the internet about it. As influencers dump a trash can full amount of single-use clothing on their bed, we eagerly watch and fill our shopping carts or, at least, get some kind of entertainment out of it. So what are the haul favorites of the nation? The results are as follows:

1. Amazon hauls – 48%
2. Grocery hauls – 35%
3. Clothing hauls – 29%
4. Target hauls – 28%

It seems influencers are the biggest helpers when it comes to navigating Amazon’s 350 million-product catalog. Honorable mentions included: Sephora/Ulta hauls, Shein hauls, Temu hauls, and Tech hauls. 

Summary

Have you been influenced? If so, you’re in the 74% majority of Americans who make purchases after seeing influencer-inspired products. With 4.8 billion social media users online, it only makes sense that shopping has found its way into the craze. Between Amazon hauls and influencers’ very own brands (cough cough anything Kardashian), it’s clear that influencer products are here to stay. So raise your Stanley Cup and cheers to one-day delivery! 

Methodology

We surveyed over 3,000 Americans in January 2024 about their online shopping and social media habits. The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Just over half — 52% — were female, 42% were male, 4% identified as trans or non-binary, and 1% listed “other”.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

For many American households, Christmas trees mark the start of the holiday season. While 76% of Americans, over 94 million homes, will be participating in the fir fun, not all agree on how to decorate the tree. 

We surveyed 3,000 Americans to ask them how they decorate their trees- down to the type of tree to the ornaments used. After calculating the average for each Christmas tree factor, we then plugged the data into AI and asked it to create the “ideal Christmas tree” according to the findings. The results? Fir-tastic. 

Key Findings:

• The ideal American tree is artificial, strung with beads, store-bought ornaments, multi-colored lights, and is about 5.8 feet tall.
• Americans think the Christmas tree should be put up the day after Thanksgiving
• 80% of the nation prefers a classy look to tacky for their Christmas tree

No fuss, no fir. Americans want artificial

As beautiful as they may be, Americans are saying no to the real thing. According to the American Christmas Tree Association, the price of our festive friends is up 10% from last year. The smell of a good spruce is going to have to be replaced with pine air fresheners and plastic because 77% of Americans are going with an artificial tree this year. 

Beads, tinsel…popcorn?

A naked Christmas tree, just can’t be. In the words of Linus, from A Charlie Brown Christmas, “I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.” The majority of Americans can agree that the best part of a Christmas tree is its decor.  

The red-and-green results are in. Americans are trimming the tree as such:

• Tinsel- 55%
• Beads- 40%
• Popcorn- 5%
• Other – >1%

The majority of Americans are decorating with tinsel, but honorable mentions go to those wrapping beads or the very laborious popcorn strings around the tree this year! And for the small portion of Americans that opted for paper chains, dried oranges, burlap…sleigh!

Homemade vs. store-bought ornaments

Unboxing “baby’s first Christmas” and popsicle stick reindeer is a part of the merry magic. With that said, some Americans choose to keep the memorabilia off the tree and opt for a more uniform look. 73% of Americans choose store-bought ornaments over homemade ornaments. Maybe next year, DIY angel, maybe next year.

Lights, camera, advent!

Nothing says holidays like halogen glow! We’re talking about Christmas lights. For the most part, Americans have clear winners for tree type, garland, and ornament types, but the nation is divided when it comes to the lights. Multi-color or classic white – we let the masses choose. A slim majority of Americans chose multi-colored lights by 59%, with 41% stringing up white lights. 

The lights analysis didn’t end there. Do they flash? Are they still? We needed answers. An overwhelming majority of Americans, 72%, said that they prefer still lights. Every 3 in 10 American households prefer a disco for their tree with flashing lights. 

Icing on the cake, err, topper on the tree

So the beads are up, the branches are teeming with ornaments, and every square inch of the Christmas tree is covered…except! The topper. The crème de la crème, the moment to polish it off, is the beloved Christmas topper. It would be but so naive to assume we, Americans, agree on that. Angels versus stars versus…Star Wars? Let’s unpack the nation’s favorite Christmas tree topper.

A staggering 62% of Americans put a star on top of their tree. Angels won second place with 21%. 7% said that they top the tree with a bow, just like the presents beneath it. Where it really gets interesting is the remaining 10%. Some stuck with classic holiday characters like a Santa topper, a reindeer figurine, a snowman, or the Grinch.?

Then things get a little…eccentric. Highlights include a lawn gnome, Luke Skywalker, a UFO miniature, a ceramic figure of E.T., and a disco ball. That really tops the competition.

But wait – there’s myrrh?

It’s not just about the tree itself. Just as Die Hard as a Christmas movie is a contested issue, so is the appropriate date for putting up the tree. Some Americans will fight for the right to put up the tree pre-Thanksgiving while others are adamant on a December start date. So what’s the right answer??

46% of Americans agree that the day after Thanksgiving is when you should put the Christmas tree up. There you have it folks. Have a tree-mendous holiday season and happy tree decorating!

Methodology

We surveyed over 3,000 Americans in November 2023 about their holiday tree preferences. The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Just over half — 52% — were female, 42% were male, 4% identified as trans or non-binary, and 1% listed “other”.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

We conducted a study to determine the Grinchy sentiment in the US by state, generation, gender, and more. Compiling these data points, we were able to create a “Grinch meter” to determine the scroogiest of them all. Although the general feeling is cheer, there were certainly some “bah-humbugs” in the bunch. 

Key findings:

• Oklahoma was the Grinchiest state scoring 2.11/5.00
• Americans feel the Grinchiest about caroling by 96.3%
• The most festive state is a tie between Missouri and South Carolina, with a 4.00/5.00 score

Grinchiest States

Which states are bringing in good cheer and which ones are steering clear? We looked across the country to determine the Grinchiest states by general sentiment, participation in holiday activities, and more. The bad Santas of the country just might surprise you!

Oklahoma, a state famous for its oil production, is fit for a bag of coal this year. Having the worst score on the Grinch meter (2.11/5.00), Oklahoma comes in first place for being the Grinchiest state in the US. Honestly, it’s an impressive feat considering the events like Winterfest in Tulsa and the light displays put on by the townships. Despite the effort, the public isn’t buying it. To make matters worse, only a little over half the population in OK said that they regularly buy presents for the holidays. Oklahomans said, “Holiday who-be what-ee?”

Second place for the sour-pusses goes to the Centennial State! They might be nicknamed “Colorful Colorado” but it most certainly does not refer to their lights display. Colorado scored a 2.29/5.00 on the Grinch-o-meter earning it the title of second Grinchiest state in the nation. One out of every fourth Coloradan said that they would never dress up for the holidays. Mr. Scrooge’s nightgown it is, we suppose!

Well, well, well, if it isn’t the grouchy state of Arkansas. In a previous study, Arkansas ranked #1 stingiest state for Thanksgiving meals, spending -93% less than the national average. As it turns out, the next holiday in the line-up is no different. Ranking ever so slightly above Colorado, Arkansas earns third most Grinchy state with a score of 2.30/5.00. On the plus side, 66% of Arkansans indicated that they do decorate for the holidays. We’ll give them some jolly points for that.

Most festive states

So, who is painting the town red (and green) with holiday cheer this year? The 2023 most festive state goes to….little drummer boy drum roll, please…Missouri and South Carolina! Tying for first place, these two southern states know hospitality and ho-ho-ho. Both states scored a 4.00/5.00, the highest score across the nation, granting them the anti-Grinch gold. Both states scored well into the 4’s on factors like holiday decoration, cookie baking, and gift giving. Missouri and South Carolina prove that the holidays aren’t a sprint, but a merry marathon. 

Heading further north, Illinois proves that the Midwest does it best. Scoring a 3.57/5.00, Illinois ranks number 2 for the most festive US state. A whopping 83% of Illinoisans said they always or almost always decorate for the holidays. With the Great Chicago Light Fight and other festive celebrations, it’s no wonder the Prairie Merry State ranks so high. 

Grinchiest cities across the US

Not all cities are a reflection of their state counterparts. Many metropolitans are the party-poopers for their otherwise cheer-filled states. Looking at a more granular level, we determined which were the top 5 Grinchiest cities across the country.

1. San Antonio

2. Ann Arbor

3. Salt Lake City

4. Milwaukee

5. Baltimore

Texas might be full of Christmas cowboys, but not when it comes to San Antonio, top the charts for the Grinchiest city in the country. A close second is college-town Ann Arbor, Michigan where the bitter cold turns to bitter attitudes. Honorary Grinchiness goes to the other top fives: Salt Lake City, Milwaukee, and Baltimore. We’ll be staying in sweet ole’ South Carolina, thank you very much!

Grinchy behavior

So what constitutes a “Grinch” anyway? To wrap up Hooville haters, we got into the thick of their Grinchy behaviors. Across the nation, Americans agreed that some things weren’t worth the holiday hassle. We’re the most crabby about caroling with an overwhelming majority (96.3%) indicating they feel the most Grinchy about participating in caroling. Fa-la-la-la-nah. 

Eggnog is out! Our second Grinchiest behavior was tossing the ‘nog. Americans negged the egg by 90.9%. Lastly, 84.6% said they preferred Grinchy over jolly when it came to gingerbread houses. In the words of Mr. Grinch himself, “Hate, hate, hate. Double hate. Loathe entirely.” 

Methodology

We surveyed over 3,000 Americans in November 2023 about their holiday habits and sentiment. The age range was between 18-65 with all participants residing in the United States. Just over half — 52% — were female, 42% were male, 4% identified as trans or non-binary, and 1% listed “other”.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

The proletarians of the “pigskin” sport exist in every NFL fan base, but some stadiums are better when it comes to providing luxury. Whether it’s caviar-level concessions or immaculate urinals (oxymoronic, perhaps?), we ranked all 30 NFL stadiums against factors like bathrooms, premium parking, and luxury suite availability to determine the boujiness score for each. So, which stadiums boast opulence, and which ones fumble??

Key Findings:

• SoFi Stadium ranks #1 boujiest stadium, thanks to advanced tech
• Chicago Bears’ Soldier Field ranked the lowest out of all 30 stadiums
• Best bathrooms go to The Minnesota Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium

The boujiest NFL stadiums of all time

Roll out the red carpet because not one but two special teams are in town! The boujiest NFL arena goes to…SoFi Stadium! Home to the LA Chargers and LA Rams, these teams can rightfully flaunt their Hollywood roots. Scoring a 100/100 on the boujee scale, SoFi swiftly takes first place. It shouldn’t come as any surprise, as this stadium also coughed up the largest chunk of cash to build. With a dizzying investment of $5.5 billion, the SoFi Stadium builders knew they were aiming for gold. With so many decimal points behind that number, it seems well-deserved!

Money alone doesn’t earn SoFi the reigning first place. Putting fame to their Silicon Valley name, this arena had the vision of being tech-forward. Having some of the most state-of-the-art technology in the league, like its wrap-around mega screen and digital twinning technology, easily earns it the title of The NFL’s Boujiest Stadium.?

Can I get a yeehaw Texas? The second boujiest NFL arena goes to the AT&T Stadium, home to the Dallas Cowboys! Besides having a rowdy good time, these ranchers are clicking their heels and clinking their champagne glasses with a boujee score of 99/100. Coming in first place also for having the highest capacity (although MetLife wins with the highest seated capacity), AT&T Stadium has an obligation to make over 80,000 fans happy. With such a large number, you can expect some fancy finds. A fabulous feature of the stadium is its display screens. It’s the world’s largest, and very first center-hung HDTV video board, measuring 160 feet by 72 feet at a cost of $40 million. A pretty penny, but absolutely worth the investment as the Cowboy’s home ranks #2 most boujee stadium.??

Third on the list of lavishness is the Empower Field at Mile High, the Denver Broncos turf. Empower Field ranks #3 with a boujee score of 81/100. Having recently undergone a renovation this year and an initial investment of $400 million, it makes sense that the stadium ranks high. With 144 luxury suites and 116 concession stands, fans have so much more than the game to enjoy. Better yet, their concession stands have $5 menu items for those with a champagne taste on a beer budget.?

Honorable and elegant mentions go to the runner-ups: Gillette Stadium in fourth place, U.S. Bank Stadium in fifth place, Hard Rock Stadium in sixth, and Allegiant Stadium- you’re all fancy front-runners too!

NFL stadiums with the lowest boujee rankings

We can’t all be bad and boujee- and that’s okay too. While some stadiums flaunt flashiness others keep it a bit more simple. Fewer bathrooms, very luxury suites, and sub-par parking options contributed to B-grade boujiness.?

The, err, humblest of all stadiums goes to Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears. Despite its prime location, the stadium itself offers far fewer amenities than the competition. Soldier Field hasn’t received any major renovation since 2003, making it a mark behind the other high-tech arenas. Fans aren’t protected from the harsh conditions during the winter on-season as it doesn’t have any dome fixtures, unlike other Northern arenas. Soldier Field also ranks as the smallest stadium in the NFL meaning less food offerings, box seats, and other luxury items. On the plus side, the Bears have 8 NFL championships and 1 Super Bowl ring to brag about. Let’s celebrate that!

New York is home to some of the best…and worst stadiums. With MetLife ranking #9 of the NFL’s boujiest stadiums, it might come as a shock that just a couple of hours away is the second least boujee stadium: Highmark Stadium. The Buffalo Bills might have one of the lowest build costs at $145 million (chump change, really) meaning a much smaller amount of luxury boxes and high-tech offerings.?

The third-least boujee stadium goes to Paycor Stadium, home to the Cincinnati Bengals. Paycor Stadium also ranks as a small stadium at a 65,515 seated capacity. On the plus side, their bathroom score was a 70/100 with 114 restrooms available throughout the stadium. When we look at the number of bathrooms per attendee, we get 575 people per bathroom, at full attendance. Yikes!

A royal flush: fanciest bathrooms in the league

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who has the best bathroom of them all? You might be thinking, is a toilet really considered fancy? Scott Jenkins, the general manager of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium says it best, “It seems unremarkable to most people, but, trust me, you invite 70,000 people to your house and you get the bathrooms wrong — you’ve got a huge problem.” If you do the math, he’s got a point. A $6,000 ticket with a 30-minute bathroom wait is essentially almost a grand just to pee!

The best in the bathroom league goes to…The Minnesota Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium. Offering an exorbitant amount of lavish loos, the U.S. Bank Stadium scored an incredulous 100/100. It’s worth noting that Allegiant Stadium came in a close second with its 297 restrooms. With 1,430 toilets you can get back to the game quickly and lap in the life of luxury. SoFi Stadium came in third place with its toilet technology securing them the bronze bathroom medal.

Cushy concessions: fanciest food stands in the NFL stadiums round-up

Step aside, hot dogs. Surf and turf is here! Well, there might not be any NFL stadiums serving actual steak, but there still are some lavish lunch options to go with the game! Get ready to munch down on some Lobster Rolls because the New England Patriots Gillette Stadium comes in first place for boujiest concessions. Offering some of the most iconic Boston classics as well as simply having a large quantity of food stands, this stadium takes the cake (or corn dog).?

The second-place winner for boujiest concessions goes to Empower Field at Mile High. In 2019, the Bronco home changed catering to Aramark which then sought to offer more local partnerships and multicultural cuisine. The result? Luxurious fare that earned them a concession boujee score of 81/100. Chefs kiss, Broncos!

It shouldn’t be any surprise that the third boujiest concession stand winner comes from a stadium named after a restaurant franchise. Hard Rock Stadium ranks #3 boujiest concessions at a score of 67/100. With almost 100 concession stands in the arena, fans have plenty of opulent options to choose from.

A boujee brief?

We’re hut, hut, hiking into VIP with these top boujee NFL stadiums as the season carries on. Whether it’s the first-in-class bites or toilets fit for royalty, there are clear winners on the list and with billions of dollars in combined investment, it’s no surprise! So get bad, get boujee, and go buy your box tickets to the boujiest stadiums across the NFL.

Methodology

Using quantitative observation, web scraping, and secondary data we were able to collect the different metrics from all 30 NFL stadiums, where we then weighted each factor according to importance and relevance. We then combined these numbers to create a score and rank regarding the “boujeeness” of each stadium.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

That’s all well and good, but some places in the US are more generous than others (looking at you, Mid-South and East South Central.) We wanted to know which states planned to share the yield and which were a bit more stingy. By running a national survey of 2,000 participants who cited they’d be hosting this year, we were able to find the average spend for Thanksgiving dinner around the country.

Key findings:

• The average American household will spend $107.01 on Thanksgiving dinner this year
• Alabama was the most generous state with an average of $176.56
• Miami was the highest-spending city at $205.40 per household

Big ballers, drumstick callers: top spending states

Get the good plates out, it’s feasting time. Across the country, Americans are gearing up to gobble down on the fall classics. These states are ensuring that all the faves, (yes, even the controversial cranberry sauce) will be found at the dinner table.?

First in our hearts and at our table sits the state of Alabama. Showing us the true meaning of Southern hospitality, this generous state boasts an average spend of $176.56 per household. Alabamans are happy to pass the peas with the majority of respondents indicating that they’d be spending up to $200 on Thanksgiving dinner this year. That’s a whole lot of turkey! 

Coming into second place we look to Kentucky. Staying true to the claim of Southern generosity, Kentucky is no exception. The Bluegrass State is all about neighborliness and full bellies with the average household planning to spend $175 on Thanksgiving dinner this year. 

The third most generous state to celebrate the holiday was Maryland and a merry land indeed with its predicted, bountiful Thanksgiving spread. Could we expect to be chowing down on crab legs at a Maryland Thanksgiving? Well, with $139.13 as the average budget, it’s certainly possible! A small portion of Maryland hosts (5%) will even be spending over $500+ on their big day this year. Crab legs, turkey, and butter rolls, oh my! 

Stingiest states for Thanksgiving

Some states are more focused on Black Friday shop-til-you-drop than on the reason for the season. So who is hogging the gravy at the end of the table and who is happily dishing out seconds?

Arkansas may be coined the “Land of Opportunity” but it’s certainly not the “land of spending a bunch of money on Thanksgiving.” Yep, that’s right. The state of Arkansas is known for some pretty delectable dishes like Southern hush puppies, Arkansas possum pie, and Southern biscuits with chocolate gravy, but that doesn’t mean they’re planning to share any of the goods! Arkansas ranked the lowest out of all states with a spend of $39.58 per household. With a 16-pound turkey averaging about $28.96 that doesn’t leave much room for sides. Make sure you have a snack before you head to any Arkansas Thanksgiving!

Uh-oh! The Volunteer State is getting a bad rap with its Thanksgiving meal spend. Tennessee might be a 10 in some things, but Turkey Day isn’t one! Coming in second to last place, “Sting-ee-see” has an average spend of $65.22 per household. At least, in comparison to Arkansas, you can expect to see a bit more on your plate, but don’t get your hopes up for pumpkin and apple pie.

Coming in at a thrifty bottom three, Kansas makes the list for stingy Thanksgiving spend. Only $1.45 ahead of Tennessee, the average Kansas household will spend $66.67 this year on their Thanksgiving meals. Let’s hope they don’t nickel and dime us over their Kansas dirt cake!

The highest-spending cities across the US

We wanted to take a granular approach to see which cities were spending mere crumbs and which ones were taking home the golden goose, err turkey. Although some states made ranks on the thrifty side, we found that, when we looked at the city level, some metropolitans were more giving than their state counterparts. Here’s the list of the highest-spending cities across the US:

1. Miami, FL $205.40
2. Birmingham, AL $165.00
3. Buffalo, NY $160.00
4. Dayton, OH $130.00
5. Kissimmee, FL $120.00

Looking at the city scope, Florida’s urban areas don’t sound like bad options to spend the November holiday. Miami offers a generous budget for buying all the stuffing your heart desires. Kissimmee also makes sure that plates are stacked high with a generous budget of $120.00 per household. 

Some shocking and not-so-shocking cities made the list too. Birmingham, Alabama makes perfect sense considering that it was the highest-spending state. On the other hand, Dayton caught us by surprise. Surrounded by stinginess (Ohio ranked #35 on average spend), this city easily outranks its state counterpart. In comparison, Dayton residents are planning to spend $130.00 while those residing in the rest of Ohio average around $70.50 in Thanksgiving meal budgets. 

Millennials are the tightest on the turkey

Ugh, not another “I hate millennials” stat! Unfortunately, this generation is going to have to endure another scolding, as they ranked as the top generation to underspend for Thanksgiving. Famously told to cut down costs by skipping the Starbucks run, Millennials decided to take it a step further by skimping out on Thanksgiving dinner too. On average, Millennial-aged Americans will be spending 17% less than all the other generations combined. 

Of those who stated that they’d be hosting this year, almost 50% of Millennials said they’d be keeping the budget under $50. Let’s hope it’s a limited guest list! 

A banquet-themed brief

Before you set your tables and roast your turkeys, make sure you check your state’s average spend! Knowing just how much your neighbors are dropping could help to make sure you’re known as charitable rather than cheap this Thanksgiving. 

Methodology

In November 2023, we surveyed 2,500 U.S. residents across the country about their planned food budget for hosting Thanksgiving. The representative sample comprised of 53.2% female, 45% male, >2% non-binary, transgender, and/or other. 

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

To rev up the excitement around a new, rumored expansion pack set to release this fall, we’re putting on a contest to really get your sim-self excited about. You can now get paid $2,000 to play The Sims. Yep, that simple.

For those up to speed on their Sim economy, that’s a lot of cash when you think about it in Simoleon currency! Although we promise to pay in USD, your Sims are guaranteed to lap in the luxury too, with this new contest. 

Live your dream life virtually and in reality. The rules are even more simple than getting your Sims to mingle. Essentially, you’ll just need to play The Sims and do what you normally would do in the game – a real cushy job for those already tapped into the Simverse! Let’s get a bit more “Sim”-cific: 

How it works

1. If selected, you will be required to download the most current version of The Sims 4 (free). 
2. Then it will be necessary to get the High School Years expansion pack. We will be covering the purchase of the expansion pack in addition to the $2,000 prize money.
3. Within the expansion pack, you’ll be given the choice to become a “Simfluencer” or “Video Game Streamer” – the choice will be up to the winner. 
4. Depending on the career choice, the winner will have to report back their progress until they’ve achieved
   1. Mega-Siminfluencer, or
   2. Pro-Gamer

Apply Here!

Above you’ll find the link that will take you to the entry page. Be sure to submit all the correct information so we can contact you if you win! Terms and Conditions can be found in the entry link.

Get ready to take the Sim world by storm and become a Simfluencer. It’s going to be lights, camera, action for you and this virtual world, so get ready. For those who have always been a lover of The Sims, this is your moment to make your “sim”-fluence and do something “sim”-nificant. 

Disclaimer

Casino.org has no affiliation with The Sims in any capacity. Casino.org is not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, maintained, authorized, or sponsored by The Sims brand. The use of any trade name or trademark is for identification and reference purposes only.

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We took a look across the country to find out which states were opting for more revealing attire and where they were keeping it more PG. Zooming out, we captured the national sentiment of dressing up as something revealing for Halloween as well as the trending ‘fits of the spook season.?

Key Findings:

• America’s most proactively dressed state for Halloween is Mississippi 
• Alabama is both in the top 3 of most scandalous costumes & most opposed to revealing outfits
• The most trending scandalous Halloween costume for 2023 was the “devil”

States going scantily-clad this Halloween

Some states are bearing more skin than others and it might not geographically be where you think! The reputably conservative states aren’t as covered as popularly believed when it comes to spooky season.??

The state most likely to dress in revealing Halloween costumes this year is Mississippi, with 40% of Missippians responding that their outfit of choice would lean on the risque side. Spicy South Dakota comes in second place with 33.33% of respondents also indicating that they’ll be choosing a more revealing Halloween costume this year. To round out the top three, Alabama celebrates the festivities in its hottest wear, with 31% dressing up in something scandalous.?

Keeping it spooky, keeping it classy

So it seems the Southerners are going for hottie Halloween with states like Mississippi and Alabama stating that they’ll choose revealing costumes, but which states have decided to go a bit more traditional? In the bottom three, we have Ohio, Colorado, and, in last place, Wisconsin. All three states had less than 5% of their respondents choosing risque Halloween costumes.?

If Mississippi was Regina George in a bunny suit then Wisconsin is Cady Heron’s take on “zombie ex-wife.” Wisconsin had the lowest percentage of revealing costumes. Instead, 78% of Wisconsinites said they’ll be choosing the classics. Think: princesses, superheroes, mummies, and vampires. Good ole’ fashion Halloween garb.?

How America feels about the not-so-conservative costumes

In the land of the free, you might have all the liberty you want to dress as you please, but that doesn’t always come without criticism. For some, Halloween can be quite contentious as it is, and adding scandalous attire to the mix stirs up further emotion.  But how do Americans really feel about bearing more skin on the night of spooks? 

Not all that bothered, actually. Nationally, 48% of Americans responded that they didn’t mind if people dressed provocatively for Halloween. When we break it down at a state level, the data gets a bit more interesting. Remember Alabama, our third most scandalously-dressed state for Halloween? Interestingly, they’re also one the states to most strongly oppose revealing Halloween attire. Over 20% of the Alabama population indicated that they were “completely against” scandalous Halloween costumes. Talk about an awkward time at the costume party. 

For every hater, there’s a fan and that’s especially true in states like Vermont. Vermont’s general “anything goes” attitude rolls over to ice cream, Bernie Sanders, and scandalous Halloween costumes. A shocking half of Vermont residents are not only cool with skin-showing outfits, but they’re completely in favor.  Maybe it’s easy to preach when October temperatures average in the 40’s. 

Tricks, treats, and trending “scandalous” Halloween costumes

Feeling inspired to dress up and show off this Halloween? We also asked our respondents what they were planning to wear for the night of haunts. For those who said they’d be wearing something scandalous for the holiday, we averaged the top write-in responses and found what would be trending this season. Here are the top trending scandalous Halloween costumes for women:

1. Devil
2. Barbie
3. Cat
4. Wednesday Addams

That’s not all! The men are taking part in the fun too. From the male respondents who said they’d be dressing scandalously this year, they had their own write-in results to add. Out of all the male responses, we found the trending outfits this year are gladiators, cowboys, and… Hugh Hefner??

Some honorable mentions for write-ins include “Freddie Mercury, but in skin-tight clothes,” “sexy siracha sauce” and, last but not least, “myself.” Queue “Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO. 

Methodology

We surveyed over 3,000 Americans in October 2023 about their Halloween costume preferences and opinions. The age range was between 18-70 with all participants currently residing in the United States. Of the respondents, 49% were male, 48.3% were female and >1% were transgender or non-binary.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

We surveyed 3,000 Americans to determine their most current vacationing habits. With that data, we were able to find the trends, declines, and favorites amongst travel in 2023.  

Key Findings:

• Americans vacation 2.27 times a year, on average
• Washington DC was the worst state (territory) for vacationing at only 0.5x a year, Mississippians took the most vacations with 4.7 breaks a year
• Millennials are 23% more likely to stay in all-inclusives than any other generation

The states vacationing far less than the recommended average

“Work-life balance” is the buzzword of the century, but do we always practice what we preach? No. Work hard, play never is the unfortunate anthem of some US states where they’re vacationing far less than the recommended average. According to an Insider study, the recommended amount of vacation days for maintaining a healthy life is 13 days a year. We could see this as a little over 2 times in a calendar year.

So what state is clocking in and never clocking out? It might not come as a surprise that it’s not a state, but rather a territory…that’s right: Washington DC. The nation’s capital is the worst place in the US for time off, with the average citizen taking only 0.5 vacations a year. So to say, many in DC actually don’t even take a vacation at all. 

The runner-up for the most un-relaxed state goes to New Hampshire with an average of only 1.0 vacation per year. Ironically, New Hampshire is known as the “Switzerland of America” but in comparison to Switzerland’s 4-week vacation minimum, the two don’t even compare. 

To complete the bottom 3, we have Connecticut with an average of 1.5 vacations a year. Maybe a week here and a long weekend there, but, all in all, Connecticuters aren’t the ones to kick up their feet and relax. 

Top states that are taking their relaxation seriously 

Not everyone is about the hustle culture, however. Some US states are committed to stepping away from their desks at least a couple of times a year and getting the relaxation they need. The best state for vacationing was Mississippi with an impressive 4.7 vacations a year. They say life moves a bit slower in the South and this is especially true for the Hospitality State where they take the time to pause, smell the flowers, and get in some real vacation time. 

The second best vacationers were found in Idaho where they take 3.8 vacations a year, on average. With millions of acres of wilderness, it’s no wonder Idahoans are eager to take a break to explore their backyards! 

The third best state for vacationing is Nebraska with a yearly average of 3.5 vacations. The midwest might be known for their manners, but, as it turns out, they’re not too bad at unwinding either.

Millennials are sparing no expense 

If you’re looking for headlines like “Millennials are killing the whatever industry” or “Fabric softener is dead and millennials are to blame” then this isn’t the place. In fact, the travel industry has some thanking to do because the millennials are actually the generation carrying all-inclusive success on their backs. Who knew unlimited margaritas could be a superpower?

Maybe margaritas aren’t directly changing the world, but what we do know is that they’re enticing enough to make millennials the biggest group of all-inclusive goers out of all the generations. Millennials stay in all-inclusive resorts, on average, 23% more than any other generation. Of all the accommodation types, millennials went for the all-inclusive option 40% of the time, more than Airbnb, conventional hotels, or any other stay type. 

When we look at the frequency of their traveling, however, it makes total sense. Of the groups that said that they “never traveled” or “traveled less than once a year,” millennials came in second place with boomers taking first place. So to say, the 23% of millennials that said they travel never/less than once a year, it only makes sense that on the rare chance they get a vacation, they end up going BIG. 

Why some vacationers are turning away from the all-inclusive option

Millennials are trying their best to keep the continental options afloat, but it’s a group effort. On the whole, all-inclusives have taken a general hit after Covid, and travelers opting for more bespoke experiences, but with travel returning to normal we wanted to pry to see what some turn away from the offering. 

Some of the most common responses were regarding excess with one respondent citing “I eat too much and feel bad.” Of the younger generations, Gen Z and millennials, their main concerns were waste. 

Many were worried about the hygiene and quality of food offered at all-inclusive stays. One respondent expressed:

“I have a phobia about them [all-inclusive buffets]! The idea of what could fall into foods, and hair etc, is nasty! Used to be okay with them, but can’t anymore.”

The most cited reason was “inability to enjoy the local culture” with 39% of surveyors sharing this sentiment. Some other common concerns were lowered quality and price concerns. 

When the all-inclusive is all good

Of course, this model does certainly work for some. Of the 47% who said they mainly travel with family, the majority said they favored the all-inclusive model. 37% of those who favored all-inclusive said it’s because they didn’t want to have to plan/think during their vacation. Ship the kids off to the on-site daycare and get to poolside sipping- makes sense to us!

While many stated that they avoided all-inclusive because of the price, there were also some respondents, who argued that they stayed at all-inclusive resorts because of the price. 35% of all-inclusive fans chose it because they thought it was a good “bang for their buck.”

The nice thing about all-inclusive options is that there is a little something for everybody. This is especially true in groups. The third most cited reason was the travel ease for groups or families, with 25% agreeing. 

Boomers’ holiday breaks will surprise you 

We like to think of boomers as the traditionalists of the travel industry, but that’s not necessarily the case. The world of adventure is changing and this generation is changing with it. We found some surprising ways that boomers go against the grain when it comes to their vacations. 

Solo travel is typically associated with a young person setting out to see the world in blissful ignorance. While this may be true, the younger generations aren’t actually the largest group to solo travel. As it turns out sage wisdom makes for solo travelers, with boomers being the largest group by 16%.

They’re also vacationing longer. The beauty of retirement (bar the bank account) is that you can stay as long as you want! Of those who indicated that they normally vacationed for 2 weeks or more, boomers were the largest pool of respondents. Boomers take long vacations 46% more than any other generation combined. 

R and R, in sum

All in all, many vacation trends remain true. Everybody loves a good break from time to time, with the championed average at 5-7 days per vacation. 81% of vacationers like the all-inclusive model, but don’t necessarily choose it. 

We all need a good vacay every now and again and every generation surveyed has confirmed that to be true. Be it mountain escapes or tropical traditions, everyone deserves good rest and relaxation. How do you like to unwind?

Methodology

We surveyed over 3,000 Americans in September 2023 about their vacation habits, following external research. The age range was between 18-70 with all participants currently residing in the United States. Of the respondents, 49% were male, 48.3% were female and >1% were transgender or non-binary.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

For the luckiest of fans, 77,000 will be in attendance to see the start of the season kick-off in person across the country in 13 major cities. What about the rest? 185 million Americans claim to be NFL fans, highlighting a discrepancy between those who actually watch the game and those who still consider themselves to be a fan. 

The same can be said for NBA fans. Last year’s NCAA’s March Madness Tournament, for example, rallied 10.7 million viewers. It sounds like an incredibly high viewership, but keep in mind that their support beyond the bleachers is much greater. For example, on social media, their video highlights and reels received 18 billion, yes billion, views. Fans are keeping tabs, but not necessarily by watching the game. 

Key Findings:

• Only 30% of sports fans watch an entire game from start to finish
• Las Vegas Raiders had the highest viewership with 57% of fans watching the full game
• NFL fans watch an average of 43.2 minutes per game & NBA fans 31.7 minutes per game
• The LA Chargers had the lowest viewership, with only 12% catching the whole game. The majority of fans watch less than 50% of the game

So what’s the deal? Fans are keen to call themselves enthusiasts, but, as it turns out, aren’t watching that much of the game. We wanted to track viewership across the two major sports leagues, the NFL and NBA, to determine the percentage of the game they’re watching, which teams are getting the most coverage, and more. 

NFL Fans are more devoted – watching an average of 43.2 minutes of the game

Who’s glued to the TV screen more? Sunday Night Football fans or NBA nuts? Both games are an entire event. Under technicality, NFL games are only 60 minutes and NBA games are 48, but between timeouts, halftimes, etc. each game can average about 3 hours and 2 hours, respectively. It’s not a game so much as a marathon! And the league coming into the figurative finish line is…

The NFL! As the #1 voted sport in the nation, it only makes sense that its fans are hooked on every minute of it. On average, an NFL fan will watch 43.2 minutes of a game (in play time). Over a season, NFL fans will average 734.40 minutes (12.24 hours) of game-watching. Impressive! 

Comparatively, NBA fans are still quite involved, just not for the whole game like their NFL counterparts. On average, NBA fans watch 31.7 out of the 48-minute total. Over a season, including tournaments, they’ll clock 2,599.40 minutes (43.3 hours) of viewing time, when we consider all 82 games each team will play. That’s still a slam dunk in my book!

These are the teams that get the most time in the limelight 

As we know, not all fan bases are created equally. Some deck out in merch while some scroll through the post-game highlights. There were a couple of teams in particular that got the undivided attention of their fans, while other teams were left at the 40-yard line. 

The most attentive viewers were those of the Las Vegas Raiders fan base with 57% of fans claiming to watch the game from start to finish. No snack breaks around here! In second place for the longest-game attentiveness was the Tennessee Titans fan base at 55%. Over half of Titans fans claimed to watch the entire game.? In third place, we head to the NBA side where the Memphis Grizzlies get 45% of viewers to watch their games in full.?

On the other hand, the team that failed the most to capture their viewers was the Los Angeles Chargers, where the majority of their fans watch less than 50% of the game. The second most distracted viewers were the Atlanta Falcons fans where only 18 minutes of the 60-minute total gets watched. *In announcer’s voice* Aaaand the Falcons fumble the fan viewership. 

From stadiums to smartphones: where are fans finding out about the final score?

Let’s be real. Sports today isn’t so much about flipping channels as it is about scrolling social media for highlights. Gone are the days when Sunday Night Football was followed up by a game recap at your job’s water coolers. Fans remain, but viewership is changing. 

A large number of fans across all sports leagues still get the news about the score by watching the game, both on TV and in person, by 46.65%, but new means of viewing are arising. Almost 20% of fans claim to find out the final score via social media. 16% consume sports news and learn the final scores through sports websites or publications. Around 12% of respondents said they stayed in the know by checking sports apps on their phones. Only a small percentage, 5%, learned about the final scores via word of mouth. 

Who is only watching the highlights?

“Did you see that game yesterday?” “Yeah, Geno Smith with that final touchdown? Killer.” -A typical postgame conversation where both fans can chat it up about a game they didn’t really watch. Welcome to new-age sports viewership.

The beauty of highlights is it gives you all that you need to know about a game without having to invest the full time to do so. Some were more keen to watch the highlights than others. When we looked at it from a geographic perspective, we saw that South Dakota, Washington D.C., and New Hampshire were the most in favor of game highlights as a substitute. These 3 states averaged 79% replacement of the full game for highlights. Could it be the lack of professional sports leagues in these places? Perhaps. Or their lack of team spirit!

When we asked participants why they didn’t watch the game in full, the majority, 71%, claimed it was a matter of time constraints. After all, 3 hours a couple of times a week throughout the season can add up. Fandom isn’t for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.

15% of respondents shrugged their shoulders and cited a lack of interest. They claimed moderate interest in the sport or team, but not enough to sit down for the whole game. Still, a 13% remainder said they simply didn’t want to pay for the streaming service where they could watch their sport of choice. Lastly, some respondents said they become disheartened when their team is losing and decide to turn it off. One fan claimed, “When *team* is losing, I don’t want to stick around and watch us get pummeled. I just turn it off.” 

Viewership trends down with age 

The average attention span is 8.25 seconds with that continually trending downwards as the years go on. With attention being divided in more and more ways, we began to ask if this translates to things we love too, like our favorite sports games. The reality is, that keeping the attention of fans for the 2-3 hours a game might take is to the likes of getting a fish to watch football, nearly impossible.

When we make the comparison between Boomers and Millenials/Gen Z, there’s a -57.6% drop in overall viewership from older generations to younger generations. The older generations were more willing to devote their time to a full game, 38% of Boomer respondents, versus the Gen Z fans, where only 20% could commit to a whole game. 

Methodology

We surveyed over 3,000 Americans in September 2023 about sports and game viewership, following external research. The age range was between 18-70 with all participants currently residing in the United States. Of the respondents, 70% were male, 29% were female and >1% were transgender or non-binary.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

Geek Pride Day, on May 25, marks a day of dorky devotion. Star Trek signs are welcomed and Harry Potter quotes are encouraged on this special day. Ahead of such a fun festivity, we ran a survey asking 2,000 Americans their thoughts on nerd culture, how they celebrate it, and what truly makes a “nerd.”

Key Findings:

• Most Americans identified as “internet geeks” above all other geeky interests 
• Austin, Texas was voted the nerdiest city and Rhode Island the nerdiest state
• Cosplay is the most participated nerd activity
• The nerdiest job sector was Law and Legal with 85% identifying as nerds

Nerds of the Nation 

Let’s get things straight: not all geeks are the same. We’ve got our bookworms, our techies, our trekkies, and so forth. It’s important to distinguish the dorks from their quirks. We decided to look at this from a state-by-state point of view first to determine the dorky divisions across the country. 

Americans responded that out of all their interests, the majority considered themselves to be internet geeks with a 20% response rate. The next geek type to take the nation were the tech geeks for #2, followed by the book geeks in third place. 

But where were the geekiest of all geeks? We asked respondents to tell us if they were too cool for school or sitting comfortably with the band kids in the cafeteria. When asked if they identified as geeks, nerds, dorks, or any of the other terminology for the terms, we were able to separate the jocks from the nerds.

The “you can’t sit with us” crowd was largely found in Maine, where 75% of the population said they weren’t nerds at all. The second “coolest” resulted in a tie between D.C. and Deleware. I guess the East Coast really thinks they’re the elite coast when it comes to coolness.

But we’re here to exalt the eccentric! We’re out to seek the gangster’s nerds’ paradise. The geekiest state in the country was…

Rhode Island! All Rhode Island respondents considered themselves to be some degree of geeky. The second geekiest state goes to Kentucky where an impressive 94% identified as geeks, nerds, or dorks. To round out the top three was Iowa where 90% considered themselves to be nerds. Who runs the world? Nerds.

Top 10 Nerdiest Cities

If we want to get a bit more granular about it (and we do because we’re geeks), some cities were considered more nerdy than others. The top 10 nerdiest cities (in order) were:

1. Austin, Texas
2. Columbus, Ohio
3. Arlington, Virginia
4. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
5. Burlington, Vermont
6. Richmond, Virginia
7. Salem, Massachusetts 
8. Newark, New York
9. Las Cruces, New Mexico
10. Knoxville, Tennessee 

Whether it be the absurd music scene of Austin, the politics nerds of Arlington, or all the fanatics in between, these were the nerdiest cities across the country. Virginia reigns with 2 nerdy cities making the list with the others scattered throughout the 50 states.

The industries with the highest % of nerds

Nerds are hidden in plain sight. They’re on your street corners, they’re in your fitness classes, they’re at your workplace. But when nerds head to work, what fields are they looking at? The obvious answer would be tech, but you’d be wrong to assume! 

The nerdiest profession was law with 85% of respondents indicating that they identified as nerds, geeks, or dorks. The second nerdiest industry was marketing and media with 80% of workers considering themselves nerdy. Coming into third place for the nerdiest job field was public services and administration at a 78% nerd rate. 

And in case you were wondering, because you probably are, 30% of those working in IT actually didn’t consider themselves nerdy. Who says you can’t be a computer programmer and still be cool?

Nerd or nah? Ranking different hobbies by nerdom 

What makes a nerd a nerd? Is it the wire-rimmed glasses? The affinity for Star Wars? The ability to recite the entire Die Hard movie line by line? We asked respondents what they considered to be nerdy and what didn’t make the cut. 

If you’re trying to avoid the reputation of a nerd, we’d recommend you put your Naruto costume back in the closet. Cosplay was considered the number one nerdiest activity with almost 70% of respondents classifying it as a nerdy hobby. 

Smashing supervillains and saving damsels in distress apparently doesn’t translate to heroism off the comic book pages. Comic books were rated the second nerdiest activity at 61%. Anime also gets a geeky reputation, coming into third place at 58%.

Then we’ve got fandoms. Whether you’re checking your sitting under the sorting hat or waving a lightsaber, there’s a fan base for all of us. Which ones are we nerding out about? 

The number one national fandom was Harry Potter. The Harry Potter franchise is estimated at about $25 billion USD, giving monetary proof to its popularity. Another fictitious favorite is the Marvel Cinematic Universe coming into second place. Interestingly enough, just as anime was voted the third geekiest activity, it was also the third favorite fandom across the nation. 

Live long and prosper: nerdy jobs that earn the big bucks

Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates- all nerds, all fabulously wealthy. Being a nerd doesn’t have to be a bad thing, in fact, it can be quite lucrative when putting those geeky skills to the test. We crunched the numbers on the top earnings across a number of industries, sectors, and positions affiliated with identified “nerdy qualifications” to see which dorks are raking in the dough.

1. Data Scientist $140,000
2. Enterprise Architect $138,000
3. Software Architect $133,000
4. Site Reliability Engineer $132,000
5. Mobile Developer $123,000
6. Cloud Engineer $121,000
7. Data Warehouse Architect $119,000
8. Development Operations Engineer $117,000
9. Network Security Engineer $108,000
10. Solutions Engineer $105,000

As we can see, IT and data sciences are where the money is really at. All nerds are welcome!

I think we can all agree that the stigma got it wrong. Nerds are actually pretty cool. Whether they’re showing us the depths of the www.com or spitting stats about sports players, nerds come in all shapes and sizes and we’re happy to share the nerdy news.?

So celebrate your quirks and dust off your D&D set as Geek Pride Day is your time to shine! Freak flags are flying and we couldn’t be more proud to be a part of the nerd-filled fun.

Methodology

We surveyed over 2,000 Americans in May 2024 about nerd culture, following external research. The age range was between 18-70 with all participants currently residing in the United States. Of the respondents, 51% were male, 47.1% were female and 1.9% were transgender or non-binary.

Information has been updated and rescreened in May of 2024 following the initial survey.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

Apart from the Hollywood film, hangovers are no laughing matter, but there are ways to fix yourself up and get on your way. Some cities do this better than others, offering places like IV hydration clinics to right the wrongs of your dehydration-inducing decisions. On the other hand, there are cities across the US with dive bars abound and only a few pharmacies in sight for purchasing Pedialyte and Advil. 

It’s worth planning your wild nights out with recovery in mind. That’s why we’re giving you the best and worst cities for hangovers. Don’t worry, if you’re still feeling the effects from last night, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you so all you have to do is choose your city (and drink) of choice. 

We looked at the 20 most populated cities across the US and evaluated them against four hangover factors. The two positive factors, access to IV hydration therapy and availability of 24-hour food joints, were then weighed against the two negatives, or hangover-inducing, factors of bar density and excessive alcohol consumption rates. 

Key Findings

• San Jose won “best place to have a hangover” with a score of 100, followed by Phoenix at 97.8
• Not far away, San Francisco was confirmed to be the worst hangover city 
• Factors like IV hydration clinics, 24-hour food joints, and binge drinking rates were calculated into the overall score

The Best City for Curing your Hangover

Keep the pain away in San Jose! California’s third most populated city earns itself the number one place of hangover recovery across the country. The Golden State at large has already earned itself a reputation for homeopathy, new-age medicine, and $18 smoothies so it makes sense that one of its cities takes pride in post-hangover health. 

Weighing out the four main factors for top hangover cures: quantity of IV hydration clinics, availability of 24-hour food joints, and low levels of bar density and excessive alcohol consumption rates, earned San Jose the highest hangover score: 100. 

Beyond the main hangover points, San Jose boasts a number of hangover helpers. The sun shines 300 days out of the year there, allowing all who visit to sweat out the sins of the night before and soak up the vitamin D. 

San Jose is also known for its wine production, where the majority of alcohol consumption consists of this beverage. According to the National Institute of Health, amongst the most binged drinks by beverage type, beer accounted for 67.1%, liquor for 21.9%, and wine accounted for 10.9% of binge drinks consumed. So to say, San Jose’s top drink of choice, wine, is the least binge-able alcoholic beverage. Sip, sip, hooray to no hangovers!

Best Spot for a Hydrating Post-Hangover Boost

IV hydration clinics are becoming quite the thing in the US. In 2022, the IV hydration market was valued at 2.32 Million USD. Its rapidly growing popularity is making it a top choice for many trying to quickly treat their hangovers. Of the factors contributing to our Hangover Score, IV hydration clinics were positively noted to help the cause. Which cities are best known to replace their tequila shots with electrolytes? 

With 65 IV hydration clinics (adjusted per capita) Denver, Colorado ranks number one in this aspect (number 4 overall). The second city with the most IV clinics per capita was Phoenix, Arizona. 

Which Cities are Best for the “Drunchies”?

Lovingly called the drunk munchies, a comfort Taco Bell order at 2 am is a must for many to remedy the effects of drinking. For the nights we just need that cheeseburger right before the sun comes up, we’ve discovered the cities to do it best.

San Jose once again comes out on top for the city with the most 24-hour food joints per capita. Late-night diners have been facing the impact of the many always-open restaurant closures across the country, but this city has been weathering the post-Covid storm with the majority of their 24-hour food options remaining in business, unlike other cities like Philadelphia which have seen a sharp decline.?

Did you let the drinks flow a bit too much throughout the night? Head over to the Alamo state to make things right! The numbers two and three on the least 24-hour food joints were San Antonio, Texas with 82 food joints, and Dallas, Texas with 71 food joints per capita. Houston also earns itself a respectable fourth place at 63 24-hour food joints per capita, making Texas top of the charts for all late-night food options.

It’s worth noting that major fast-food chains and convenience stores were omitted from the count.

Who’s Drinking Us Under the Table?

A very important factor was overall alcohol consumption. We calculated the excessive alcohol drinking rate into the Hangover Score. Drinking in excess is the number one cause of hangovers so it only makes sense for the booziest cities to be the worst for recovery. 

Cheers to Chi-town as Chicago earns itself the booziest city in the US at 49%. San Francisco takes second place at a 36% excessive consumption rate. San Diego follows in third place at 34%.

Dive Bars and Bad Decisions

What would a hangover be without a good ol’ fashion bar crawl to make it worthwhile? Bar density has a large impact on hangovers, creating cause to be the final factor of the Hangover Score. 

When we adjust for population, we find that Dallas, Texas has the highest bar density with 7.94 bars per 10,000 people. For second place, Los Angeles takes the cake, or the cocktail, at 4.36 bars adjusted per capita. Heading up north we find that Denver, Colorado has the third-highest bar density at 3.15 bars per 10,000 people. 

The Worst City for Hangovers

The results (and regrets) are in. The worst city for having a hangover is San Francisco, California. Having some of the highest rates of binge drinking and bar density paired with the lowest rates for 24-hour food access and IV hydration clinics, San Francisco rightfully earns its name. 

A (dis)honorable mention to the number two worst hangover city, Dallas, Texas. 24-hour food joints are ample, but so is the bar density and consumption rate making it a boozy, bad place for nursing your hangover. 

How’s that for Hangovers?

Get to sippin’ on that bloody mary, put on those cucumber eye patches, and plan your hangover-free trip to the best cities across the country for hangovers, like San Jose and Phoenix, Arizona. Make sure to avoid places like San Francisco and Dallas if you don’t want to have 3-5 business days to recover. And just remember, it’s not a hangover, it’s a margarita flu. 

Methodology

Using quantitative observation and secondary data we were able to collect the different metrics from the 20 most populated U.S. cities where we then weighted each factor according to importance and its relative level of effect on hangovers. We then combined these numbers to create an average scoring ranking of the average hangover figure for each city. 

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the term retro is described as something coming back into fashion, typically within a 20-year span, but not exceeding 40 years. Trust us, we gasped too when we realized Myspace was actually retro. 

Key Findings:

• Digital cameras trend amongst Gen Z, while Boomers opt for landlines
• Over half the US population is in favor of the digital camera trend
• Transparent devices and flip phones were ranked #2 and #3 respectively

As we reminisced on the days of dial-up, we decided to run a study to see which technologies are making a comeback, which generations are leading the charge, and more. We surveyed over 2,000 Americans to see which old-school tech they’re eager to bring back into style. 

Say cheese! The Point and Shoot is back as #1 voted retro technology

The digital camera, in all its washed-out, flash photo glory, is apparently making a comeback. With Gen Z carrying their new (read: old) digital cameras around on their wrists like the hottest handbag, we were left scratching our heads…is the digital camera really back in fashion? 

As it turns out, yes. The digital camera is back and with gusto. When asked, respondents indicated that digital cameras were the number 1 retro technology they’d like to see brought back. 

Perhaps not surprisingly, the generation most in favor of it is the one that finds the technology novel. So to say, they never had to master the art of duck-faced mirror selfies with the horrendous point-and-shoot flash. 

That’s right: Gen Z. This generation is all over the trend of digital cameras noting this as their top choice more than any other generation. A quarter of Gen Z respondents would like to see or are already bringing point-and-shoot cameras back into the personal gadget toolkit. 

See-through devices take second place

Remember when schools had the colorful Macs that you could peer through to admire all its bits and bobs? Or the gaming controllers that gave you a glimpse into what each button did? See-through tech is nothing new, but it’s apparently a favored choice for retro comebacks.

Just behind digital cameras, transparent devices flaunt a see-through second place across the country. The states that selected see-through devices as their top choice for retro gear included: Alaska, Maryland, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, Missouri, and Wyoming.

Call me, beep me, if you want to reach me. Flip phones for 3rd place

Ah, that riveting feeling of slamming your phone shut after an excited phone call. Pressing a button on a touch-screen just doesn’t scratch the same itch, now does it? The nation couldn’t agree more. Coming into the national third place was flip phones. 

We can even turn to Google Trends to see the uptick in flip phone interest based on rising search volumes. Queries like “flip phones with WhatsApp “flip phones with Spotify” and “flip phones 2023” have all seen a positive trend over the year. The first two, when looking at Google’s 5-year trend, have seen a 67% increase in searches. The search “Nokia flip phone” was highlighted by Google’s search engine as a “rising trend” with a 70%+ increase. 

Sometimes less is more and flip phones surely channel that sentiment. With limited functionality, their once-scorned negative is now a vintage positive. The states most ready to rock a bedazzled cell include Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Virginia.

Boomers want their landlines back 

Let’s dive a little deeper into the generations. The “back in my day” talk can mean something entirely different whether you’re speaking to a millennial or a boomer. The retro technologies across the different generations vary widely.

As covered, the youngest surveyed generation, Gen Z, is ready to strike a pose and get their pictures taken with point-and-shoot cameras as their number one favored retro technology. Maybe in a desire for nostalgia, millennials picked a childhood favorite: transparent devices. 

Those sweet memories of breakfast cereal and Saturday cartoons felt like an obvious pick for Generation X who chose box or tube televisions as their number one choice for retro technology. Boomers are busy twisting the phone cord with their hands as they pick landline phones as their top retro gear favorite. 

Men’s and women’s favorite retro technologies 

If we want to break it down by gender, we see some other interesting phenomena emerge. On the whole, women were most excited to see landlines return with 60% interest while the greatest divide on the other side was men’s top pick of wired headphones at 61% interest. 

Other differences include men choosing transparent devices 10% more than women and box TV 5 points more than women. On the reverse, women far preferred Tamagotchi pets and digital cameras. Where the genders did agree was handheld cameras at an almost perfect tie.

The tech takeaways 

Untangle those earbuds, set your flip phone’s ringtone, and take sweet care of your Tamagotchi, retro tech is here. And with the positive responses from our survey, we can see that it’s here to stay! Whether it’s a state favorite or Gen Z calling us back to our digital camera days, we can see that the popularity of each retro gear varies greatly. Eat your heart out, AI, we’re bringing retro back!

Methodology

We surveyed over 2,000 Americans in July 2023 about their technology preferences. The age range was between 18-70 with all participants currently residing in the United States. Of the respondents, 48% were male, 48.1% were female and 3.9% were transgender or non-binary.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

Cricket knows how to gather a crowd outside of the U.S. Its popularity earns it second place for the most popular sport on the global scale. Sports quotes and facts estimate that around 2.5 billion people follow the sport with over 120 participating countries.?

Despite its global success, it never quite made the pitch to U.S. audiences. That is, until now of course. As the new Major League Cricket steadies its gaze on expansion across the States, we ran a survey to see if it would be a home run success, or rather a “six” in cricket speak, or a leg before the wicket. 

Key Findings:

• MLS fans are most open to a professional U.S. cricket league
• 31% are interested in the new MLC
• Idaho and Georgia are the 2 states most excited about American cricket

Beyond the confines of cricket, we wanted to see what other sports Americans want to see domestically with options including professional cycling, rugby, and even bullfighting. Olé!

U.S. sports fans double as cricket skeptics

Sticky wickets, as you might’ve implied, are no bragging matter. In fact, cricket fans would tell you that it can be a rather tricky situation. As it turns out, the results are just as gloomy as our wickets are sticky. Despite its global fame, Americans aren’t entirely convinced yet. 

If the American knowledge of cricket is any indication of how well cricket is being received, we get an idea of its uncertain forecast. As we can see from the state-by-state breakdown, Americans aren’t entirely against cricket, but they’re not all for it either. A major part of this could be the hazy grasp of just exactly how the sport works. Whether you’re cricket-literate or otherwise, it’s easy to see that cricket is having a slow start in the U.S. 

Some states are more eager than others. Interestingly enough, Idaho leads the charge with an excitement rate of 55%, boasting a 24-point difference from the national average. The rainbow state is ushering in the game with warm “alohas” as Hawaii ranks second highest for U.S. cricket interest at 45%. Coming in third place with almost the same percentage as Hawaii was Delaware. Small in size, but grand in cricket admiration!

Then we have the haters. The third “least excited” states for major league cricket were Utah and Nebraska at 17% overall interest. Tied for a dissenting second to last were both Washington D.C. and Montana at 16%. The state most opposed to cricket was Vermont with all respondents claiming zero interest in the proposed sport.

Which sports fans are going crazy for cricket??

Looking beyond the geographical scope, we wanted to know the perception from other major league sports fanatics. Are footballers trading in the 50-yard line for the infields? Is cricket a slam dunk amongst NBA fans?

It might be logical to conclude that cricket would be the most popular amongst MLB fans considering the similarities, but baseballers are sticking to the roster and largely turning away from cricket. Rather, it was a more unlikely league to positively favor cricket in the U.S.

The sports league most eager to see cricket come to the U.S. was the MLS. The league already attracts a more international fan base, such as its British superfans, which could explain their openness to the new league. 37% of MLS fans claimed excitement for the new sport, the highest percentage out of all the current major league sports.

Tied for second was the NBA and NHL. With only an incremental difference behind MLS, these two major sports leagues were 36% interested in seeing cricket become a professional U.S. sport. 

Working our way down the batting order is the NFL with only 32% interest. A large majority of football fans cited “indifference” or “not at all interested” when asked how they felt about the news. American football being considered the cornerstone of the country’s culture clues us in to why these sports fans might have little to no interest in the not-yet-american sport. 

It’s a swing and a miss for MLB fans. Despite the sport’s similarities, cricket is a no-go for baseball fanatics, where only 30% said they’d be interested in the new Major Cricket League. This adds an interesting layer to the new sport’s arrival as the cricket matches that have been played in the U.S. this month have exclusively been in baseball stadiums. 

What sports do Americans want to see come to the U.S.?

As football tailgating is to America, the Tour De France is to Europeans. There are a number of popular sports that gather large crowds of spectators outside of the U.S. that are hardly ever heard of in the great U S of A. We asked American sports fans what else they’d be interested in seeing come to the country beyond cricket. 

If American football isn’t your jam then maybe rugby will be. The sport emphasizes a lot of the same plays as American football, sans padding, of course. With that, American sports fans would be most excited in seeing rugby come to the U.S. Earning first place, 49% chose rugby as the most desired new U.S. professional sport. 

Perhaps echoing a sentiment of similarity like football is to rugby, cricket actually ranked number two on the list of sports that Americans would like to see come to the U.S. by 17%. Again, it might be something easier for Americans to digest with a lot of its plays mirroring those of baseball. 

Competitive road biking cycles its way into third place, where 15% of Americans chose it as the sport they’d most like to see come to the U.S. Taking a smaller percentage was handball, where only 14% of respondents chose this as the top sport they’d like to see become a professional U.S. league. Lastly, we can turn our “olé” into “no way” with only 5% of the vote going towards professional bullfighting. 

Cricket terms that sound made up but are 100% real

And just for fun, we’ll round off with some useful and utterly wacky terminology so you can chant with the rest of ‘em at your next local cricket match. 

Around the wicket: When a right-hand bowler passes to the right of the non-striker’s stump in the run-up. Not to be confused with over the wicket.

Baggy Green: a cricket hat or cap

Beer match: If the scheduled match ends under the allotted time they may play an informal, friendly match that doesn’t count against official scoring and ranking.

Bosey: See googly?

Cow shot: a hard shot, in the air.

Daddy hundred: the batter’s individual score

Dance down: footwork used by the batter to move closer to the bowler

Dibbly dobbly: a medium pace delivery

Featherbed: a soft pitch with an average bounce

Fruit salad: bowlers with varying delivery types within a game

Googly: a deceptive, spinning delivery

Hoodoo: when a bowler seemingly targets a batter to get them out

Jaffa: an exceptionally well-bowled play, also known as a corker?

Leggie: a leg-spin bowler

Nurdle: scoring runs, oftentimes in singles

Pie chucker: a poor bowler

Projapoti: delivery by a specific pace bowler, intended to minimize rotation. Similar to baseball’s “knuckleball”?

Shelled a dolly: to drop an easy catch

Sticky wicket: a difficult and wet pitch

Zoota: when a leg-break bowler bowls a flipper?

To sum it up

Clearly, we Americans have a lot to learn when it comes to the love of the game, but if the MLC continues to ramp up, as planned, we’ll be surrey cutting and paddle scooping our way to the big leagues! America’s apathy for the game has been made clear, but with time, it could slowly start to convert fans, especially those of the MLS, NHL, and NBA who cited the most interest.

In the world of international sports, some would outperform others. Americans ranked their interest in international sports in order of rugby, cricket, road biking/cycling, handball, and finally bullfighting. 

From the looks of our results, Americans are most comfortable sticking with the sports they know rather than the ones they don’t. Our garages aren’t ready for a new piece of sports equipment just yet, as cricket and the like remain unconvincing across the U.S.

Methodology

We surveyed over 2,000 American sports fans in July 2023 about their sports preferences. The age range was between 18-60 with all participants residing in the United States.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

We’ve surveyed over 3,000 U.S. social media users to determine who is creating fake social media accounts, what they’re using them for, and if we can expect the rise of future fake social media accounts on newer platforms like TikTok. You try saying “FikTok” three times fast!

Post Highlights:

• 36% of the nation has or would have a Finsta whilst 27% have created a FikTok
• 50.5% of Finstas are used for posting unfiltered content, while the top reason for a FikTok was to hide from friends or family 
• Women are 25% more likely to have Finstas while men 11%  are more likely to have FikToks

To follow or not to follow? The fake socials trend

“To follow or not to follow?” as were the wise words of Shakespeare…or something like that. Have you ever had an account by the name of @goldenretrieverfanpage12345 request to follow you? Or @bettybakingpageandrecipes222 just…watched your story? Hate to break it to you, but it’s probably not a pup or a pastry page, but rather a secondary, fake account. Nothing is impossible, but when we look at the numbers, we get a better idea of just how saturated our social media is with fake accounts.

World Population Review claims that there are 2.35 billion open accounts on Instagram. When we dive a bit further, we find that there are 1 billion MAU (monthly active users). The disparity between accounts and users is over double! Leaving room for bots and business pages, we wanted to see just how many people actually had fake social media accounts. 

When we asked respondents about if they had or would have fake Instagrams the number was quite significant. Out of all the participants, 36% of users across the country admitted to having or considering a secondary, fake account, i.e. a “finsta.” 

As the greats of social media giants fall and rise, we see the same trend of fake account presence follow suit. Facebook, for example, used to be home to fake pages or accounts under aliases, but as we trend towards new platforms we’re left wondering: what’s next? “Fhreads” anyone?

Behold: the FikTok. A new era has arisen. As more and more of us are opting for shorter and shorter content, users are migrating to Tiktok. When more people join, like your boss or your ex perhaps, you might want to open up an, *ahem* “bakery page” too! The need for privacy on TikTok is growing so we wanted to know who are the early adapters to the latest trend of fake TikToks. 

TikTok has 1.06 billion active users, and according to our randomized sample, we can expect that 27% of those users would or already have a fake account! That’s more than a quarter of FikToks. 

Stalking your ex? Most common uses of fake social media accounts

It’s tempting. You create a fake social media account and take a little snoop on the people who used to be in our lives. Harmless, maybe, but just how common is it? We surveyed social media users to determine what they use their fake accounts for. The results may surprise you.

Contrary to belief, most Finsta’s aren’t for stalking. The top cited reason for having a Finstagram was to post unfiltered or casual content earning over half the vote at 54%. The second most cited reason was “hide from friends/family” at 32%. Stalk an ex, current partner, romantic interests, or their exes got a surprisingly low chunk of the vote at only 13%.

Lastly, “impersonation or catfishing” ranked with only 1.3%. There were a couple of remaining write-in responses for uses like contest applications or prank accounts.

But what about our dear FikToks? With the platform being largely video content, how are people using FikToks to disguise themselves from the masses? The top reason for having a Fiktok was to hide from friends/family with 50.5% of the vote. Beyond confidentiality, users want to be able to be their authentic selves without the need to curate their posts. For that, the second reason for having a Finsta was “post unfiltered or casual content” at 39.5%. 

Of course, no FikTok would be complete without a bit of snooping. Coming in third place was “stalking an ex, current partner, romantic interests, or their exes” at 8.7%. Only a small percentage of people are catfishing on the app with “impersonation or catfishing” grabbing only 1.3% of the vote. 

Are men more likely to have fake social media accounts? 

The gender divide is ever present even in places where gender doesn’t exist (like Capybara content pages). This can be said for fake social media accounts too where we see that men and women are inclined to different types of fake social media accounts. 

Interestingly enough, women are more likely to have fake Instagram accounts (39% versus 31%). However, when it comes to fake TikToks the reverse is true. Men are more likely to have FikToks with 29% likelihood versus women at 26.2%. 

The final say on Finstas and FikToks 

Our social media use continues to trend upward, encouraging many of us to take an alternative path, a fake path, if you will. Fake Instagrams and fake TikToks are on the rise, but their uses tend to differ. Even men and women use their fake social media accounts differently and with differing participation rates depending on the platform. 

Rinstas, Finstas, Riktoks, and FikToks – the options are endless for your unfiltered content (or otherwise) are endless! 

Methodology

We surveyed over 3,000 Americans in July 2023 about their social media habits. The age range was between 18-60 with all participants residing in the United States. Just over half — 52% — were female, 42% were male, 4% identified as trans or non-binary, and 1% listed “other”.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

Ah, beige flags. As the name might suggest, it’s not a red flag, but certainly not a green one either. It’s an oddity in a partner or romantic interest that you might find weird, but not enough to cut it off or reconsider. In a recent New York Times article, the example of dunking your Oreos in water instead of milk helps to really encapsulate the idea of beige flags – bizarre to say the least, but far too trivial to give someone the beige-flag-boot. 

People are, above all, odd. But as it turns out, we can actually sum that strangeness into a report and find the top beige flags for you to be wary of before you find yourself in a watery, Oreo-dunked-in-transgression mess. 

Key Findings

• The top beige flags across the country are:
  • Making moderately controversial opinions your personality
  • Excessive reference to mainstream sitcoms
  • Having an unnecessary amount of alarms on your phone
• Women feel some kind of way about fish pics in the same way men do about brunch as a personality trait 
• “Making controversial opinions your personality” matters more to young people than older generations

Top Beige Flags across the country

According to Statista, 59.16 million Americans are actively on dating apps. Add that to the amount of Americans who are actively dating off the apps and you get an idea of just how large the pool of singles is. We pulled from that pool of bachelors and bachelorettes to get the top beige flags across the country.

Do you have strong opinions about pineapple on pizza? Do you believe being a dog parent is the same as having kids? Is this the hill you’ll die on? Then you fall into the number one beige flag category! “Making moderately controversial opinions their entire personality” waves its cream-colored flag into first place. The majority of Americans find this peculiarity notable enough to vote it number one, so maybe think twice before you rant to your date about how Pluto really deserves planetary status.

In a similar vein, you might want to reconsider saying that you’re looking for the Pam to your Jim or making reference to other mainstream sitcoms. In the age of binge-watching and the Netflix Effect shaping the world around us, it’s only natural to drop a Friends reference every now and again, but moderation is key. Americans cited this as their second biggest beige flag in dating, so maybe don’t lead with “How you doin’?”

Beep, beep, beep! Your beige flag is going off! Coming in third place is “having an excessive amount of alarms on their phone.” We all could use a snooze or two, but if you have seven different alarms spanning between 8:00 to 8:30, you might be buzzing your way into beige flag-dom. Snoozer beware: limit the alarms if you don’t want your partner to beige-zone you.

Beige Flags for Men vs. Women

The battle of the beige-toned sexes just got more interesting. Who pays the bill and who holds the door are being replaced with cilantro preferences and weighing out other dating oddities. As it turns out, some things are black, white, and beige for some sexes more than others. 

Put the fish down, boys. Amongst the women polled, they cited “Holding a picture of a fish in their profile or dating photo” as a top beige flag. Posing with your catch just feels a bit…slimy. If your hobbies are more profit over ponds, you’re not “off the hook” either. A close second for women’s beige flags was “being very into cryptocurrency.” Banking is the new beige, as it turns out. To complete the top three, excessive alarms ring into third place once more.

No one is safe from beige blunders. Men had their own ranking of beige flags when it came to dating. With breakfast and brunch becoming a trendy weekend pastime, we’re faced with mimosa melodrama. Ranking as the number one beige flag for men was “Making brunch a major staple to their personality.” Brunch is apparently as beige as it comes to men’s perception of dating red flags. Following this up, “excessive reference to sitcoms” again makes a resurgence as the second most cited beige flag for men. Keep those Schitt’s Creek comments to yourself. 

Not so fast, Cinderella. The bell of the ball is getting the beige flag with the third-highest gaffe for men. Brunching, binge-watching, and…passenger princess-ing? “Insisting on being the passenger princess” makes the top charts. You might want to think twice before kicking off your glass slippers and getting snug in the passenger’s seat as it’s seen as a beige flag for many.

It’s worth noting that there was inconclusive data for analysis of non-binary, transgender, and other gender identification’s beige flags. 

Beige or bust? State-by-state Look

The top beige flags across the countries give us an insight into the weird and wonderful, but some states have stronger opinions on the matter than others. Taking a look across the vast U.S. and we see that Vermont had the strongest opinions about “hating cilantro” and “being into cryptocurrency” more than any other state. Both beige flags tied for number one at 22% in Vermont. 

For South Dakota, “making controversial opinions your entire personality” was enough of an oddity to take 33% of the vote for the number one beige flag. Wyoming scratches its head at the folks who are “highly active on non-social platforms like Google Reviews, Waze, etc.” Just along the Carolina coast, fishing is a top hobby, but that doesn’t mean North Carolinians want to see that demonstrated in your profile picture, citing it as their number one beige flag at 24%. 

Ready, Beige, Go!

Come what may, don’t let these cream-colored concerns stop you from living your life. Put that pineapple on your pizza, sing “Smelly Cat” at the top of your lungs, and keep setting 51 alarms for your morning; embrace the beige, the bizarre, and the beautiful. 

Methodology

We surveyed over 2,000 Americans in July 2023 about their dating habits. The age range was between 18-70 with all participants residing in the United States. Just over half — 53% — were female, 46% were female, and 1% identified as non-binary or other.

Fair Use

Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors.

For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org

Let’s get things straight – you don’t have to be a dad, dude, or that good of a cook to participate. We just want to see how you rock your grill garb! We’re putting on a photo contest where you should pose in your BBQ’s best to show off your dad-inspired duds. 

Guys, girls, and grills – get your tongs ready, say cheese, and submit your best BBQ outfit by using the form below. May the best, most fashionable BBQ master win!

Just in time for a sizzlin’ 4th 

What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than with a win over the grill? When you and your friends gather for Independence Day, make sure to snap a shot in your master chef clothes so you can keep the fun going with the possibility of an extra $1,000 to spend. 

The possibilities are endless! $1,000 can get you almost a year’s worth of grillable grub, a shiny new BBQ, or you can even trade in your ole’ faithful, white tennis shoes for a fresh new pair. But hey, those 1998 New Balance are good as new, right?

Hey champ, here’s how the competition works

We know you’re eager to get that $1,000 in your pocket, but first, we need to run you through how the photo contest works. Besides the outfit choice, it’s pretty simple stuff. Here are the steps to follow: 

1. Take a picture of you in your BBQ outfit (bonus points if the grill is in the background)
2. Head to the submission form listed above
3. Fill in all the required information including the photo upload
4. Fire up the grill and celebrate your (hopeful) win!

Winners will be notified within 48 hours after the contest closes. The contest and acceptance of submissions start on June 30th, 2023, and will end on July 9, 2023, at 11:59 PM EST.?Terms and Conditions for the contest can be found here.

If the form above isn’t loading, please send us your submission using the link here.

Out of all the weird and wonderful, who’s first to bat for having the most outrageous team name? We surveyed 4,000 baseball fans across the nation to find out the ranking for the most outrageous Minor League Baseball team name and here’s what they decided. 

And we Root, Root, Root for the Rocket City Trash Pandas

Hats off and (paws up) to the Trash Pandas for winning America’s number one most outrageously named MiLB team. California‘s own Trash Pandas have won the hearts of many with their endearing and eccentric name. Once previously known as the Bay Bears, upon repurchase and relocation in 2020, the Rocket City team got a facelift for something a bit more…grungy. Now the Trash Pandas have been proudly wearing the name for 3 years with a unique symbol of a raccoon, or more affectionately named trash panda, blasting out of a garbage bin into outer space… to fight the Sugar Land Space Cowboys perhaps??

Amarillo Sod Poodles Score Second

Following closely behind in position two were the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Amarillo was home to several Minor League team identities before the Sod Poodles came to town, but names like The Thunderheads, Gassers, and Gold Sox couldn’t even compare. Much like the Trash Pandas, the Amarillo Sod Poodles got a rebrand of rarity. Where else will you find a team like the Sod Poodles? 

Whether it’s the general corkiness or the perplexing wonder of what exactly is a sod poodle, this team proudly ranks second. And for all those wondering: no, it’s not exactly a poodle, but rather what the Texas Panhandle fondly calls a prairie dog. The more you know!

Binghamton Rumble Ponies Gallop into Third Place

Showcasing their strong, yet strange, steeds, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies rank number 3 for the MiLB’s most outrageous team names. The Double-A affiliate, the New York Mets, decided to run with a more unusual team identity. When it came time to rename the team, submissions were left to fans with the Stud Muffins coming in second and the Rumble Ponies claiming win to the official name change. We think it was a stomping success.

Quack Quack! The Akron Rubber Ducks Are Where It’s at

Making on the board at fourth place are the Akron Rubber Ducks. But not so fast. Could this bath time/baseball icon be reconsidering its namesake? On June 20, the RubberDucks official Twitter account tweeted this out: 

Just when this Akron MiLB team gets the rubbery recognition they deserve, they consider a name change. Does their throwback name, The Aeros, have the same ring?

Big Hopes for the Albuquerque Isotopes

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s an…Isotope? Making their way to fifth place, the Isotopes have just a peculiar story as they do name. When it came time to rename and rebrand back in 2002, the vote was left to the public. Taking fondly to the fictitious team, the Springfield Isotopes from the TV show The Simpsons, the majority vote was given to that very name. Seemingly random, it does fit nicely into the state’s theme of science and mysterious technology. Area 51, anyone?

The Other Funky Finalists

Rounding off the Wackiness were the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in 6th place, the Sugar Land Space Cowboys in 7th, the Lansing Lugnuts for 8th place, and finally, the Hartford Yard Goats completing the top 9.

Honorable mentions include the Biloxi Shuckers, Montgomery Biscuits, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, El Paso Chihuahuas, Beloit Sky Carps, Toledo Mud Hens, Fort Wayne TinCaps, Richmond Flying Squirrels, Fayetteville Woodpeckers, Everett AquaSox, Corpus Christi Hooks, Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, Cedar Rapids Kernels, Aberdeen IronBirds, Greensboro Grasshoppers, and the Erie SeaWolves (in ranking order).

Which team do you think has the most outrageous name?