Online Gambling

Online Gambling : Casinos Dominate the Revenue Game

When we talk about online gambling, sports betting usually grabs the spotlight, especially with big events like the Super Bowl or March Madness. But this chart makes it crystal clear—online casinos quietly rake in far more tax revenue than sports betting, at least in these six states.

What makes the chart effective? Let’s go a bit deeper:

• Color and Contrast: The dark bars represent online casino revenue, and the lighter bars represent sports betting. By assigning distinct, contrasting shades, the chart underscores how one category (casinos) dominates. It’s immediately obvious which revenue stream is bigger—no hunting for a legend or squinting at tiny labels.
• Stacked Horizontal Bars: Because each bar is segmented into two parts (casino vs. sports), it’s easy to see the relative contribution of each component within a single state. Lining these bars up horizontally also makes it simpler to scan from top to bottom rather than bouncing left to right.
• Exact Percentage Labels: Each segment includes a clear percentage figure—like 86% for West Virginia’s casinos—so you can compare states precisely without estimating. The labels are placed within the bars themselves, so there’s no guesswork or flipping back and forth to a legend.
• Total Tax Revenue Column: To the right, the chart shows total tax revenue in millions of dollars. Pairing percentages with actual dollar amounts adds context about the scale of each state’s revenue. Without this, you’d know the proportions but not how big (or small) those percentages really are.
• Sorting and Highlights: The states are listed in descending order of their casino share (West Virginia at 86% down to Delaware at 44%). This order helps you quickly see which states lean most heavily on casino taxes.
• Source Notes and Transparency: The note at the bottom explains differences in fiscal years and why Rhode Island data isn’t included. This transparency gives credibility to the chart by clarifying potential discrepancies in the numbers.

All these design choices work together to deliver a clear story: Casinos—not sports betting—are the real cash cows.