{"id":163629,"date":"2021-02-06T00:03:43","date_gmt":"2021-02-06T08:03:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=163629"},"modified":"2021-02-07T09:51:21","modified_gmt":"2021-02-07T17:51:21","slug":"research-shows-pandemic-has-fueled-vice-spending-gambling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/research-shows-pandemic-has-fueled-vice-spending-gambling\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Shows Pandemic Has Fueled Vice Spending, Increased Gambling"},"content":{"rendered":"

The COVID-19 pandemic, new research finds, has led to increased spending on various vices, including gambling.<\/p>\n

\"pandemic
The pandemic in 2020 resulted in Americans spending more heavily on their vices. That includes alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling, much of the latter online due to state closures of brick-and-mortar casinos. (Image: Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The report comes from MagnifyMoney<\/i>, an online personal finance website owned by LendingTree. Researchers say that since the onset of the pandemic, the average American adult has spent nearly $950 on vices.<\/p>\n

Alcohol, cigarettes, and lottery tickets are three of the top vices. MagnifyMoney <\/i>surveyed 1,550 Americans, and found that 70 percent of consumers doled out cash on vices during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

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Stress and spending have always been linked, and the coronavirus pandemic has made financial vices more alluring for many Americans,” explained MagnifyMoney<\/i>‘s Devon Delfino.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Thirty-one percent of Baby Boomers, 30 percent of Gen X, and 25 percent of millennials said they purchased a lottery ticket over the past year. The massive jackpots for Powerball and Mega Millions<\/a> recently lured in many players.<\/p>\n

Online Gambling Increases<\/b><\/h2>\n

As made evident in monthly gross gaming revenue (GGR) reports in New Jersey and Pennsylvania — two states that have internet casinos with slot machines and table games — the research shows that many have spent some of their time stuck at home gambling online.<\/p>\n

One in five millennials report making some sort of bet via the internet. So have 12 percent of Gen Xers, nine percent of Gen Zers, and five percent of Baby Boomers.<\/p>\n

Here’s how MagnifyMoney <\/i>broke down the generations:<\/p>\n