LAS VEGAS —The gambling industry nationwide paid out a jackpot-worthy $38 billion of federal, state and local taxes in 2013, according to a report from the American Gaming Association.
It’s the first time the group has added tribal casinos, casino-game makers and some online gambling into the mix for its annual study of the industry’s impact in the U.S. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the report’s tax revenue figures before its release Tuesday.
Of the $38 billion in total tax revenue, $10 billion came directly from gambling, the report said. Worker income and Social Security taxes as well as casino property taxes and more accounted for the rest.
The numbers could be conservative, according to the firm that did the study.
Closely held tribal casinos reveal little about private revenue, so the study considered agreements the tribes have with states governing how much is contributed to local governments and data provided to state gaming boards. It didn’t account for personal income taxes that individual gamblers may have paid for any big winnings.
The American Gaming Association commissioned Oxford Economics to study the industry’s total economic impact.The numbers arrive as developers and industry officials continue to push for casino properties in cities and states normally unaccustomed to the sounds of ringing slot machines, with government leaders betting on a tax windfall.
“The results prove that that bet is paying off,” Geoff Freeman, the association’s president, said of the report’s numbers.
