U.S. gambling revenues climb 5.3% to $34.1B

The Clarion-Ledger, 5/15/8

Americans spent more money gambling in 2007 than on movie tickets or candy, but the steady growth of commercial casinos in the past decade could take a hit next year because of a slumping economy and setbacks in building new places to play.

A survey released Wednesday by the American Gaming Association showed U.S. commercial casino revenues were up 5.3 percent to $34.1 billion in 2007. Citing numbers from the National Confectioners Association and the Motion Picture Association of America, the survey said Americans spent $29 billion on candy and $9.6 billion on movie tickets in 2007.

But casino jobs were down 2.3 percent, with casinos in Nevada, New Jersey and Illinois cutting jobs, according to the study.