Gambling in America - Types Of Legal Gambling

There are six primary forms of legal gambling in the United States: bingo, lotteries, pari-mutuel betting, off-track betting, organized poker playing, and casinos. Bingo is the most common form of legalized gambling. Lotteries operate in thirty-eight states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Forty-three states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands permit Thoroughbred racing. Poker "card rooms" operate legally in sixteen states. A total of eleven states offer legal casino gambling—ranging from floating riverboats to large commercially run casinos such as those found in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, New Jersey. Twenty-eight states also have Native American gambling facilities, which range from bingo and card-playing operations to full-scale casinos.