Most Gambling-Addicted States, Where Michigan Ranks

Whether it's recreational or social gambling, either way, you're willing to risk something you value in the hope of getting something of even greater value. The personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2023's Most Gambling Addicted States.

In order to call out the states where gambling addiction is most prevalent, they compared the 50 states across several key metrics. The data set ranges from the presence of illegal gambling operations to lottery sales per capita to the share of adults with gambling disorders.

According to the report, Michigan ranked number 22 with the lowest percentage of adults with gambling disorders. However, the state was on the higher end for adults per capita who have a gambling problem or those seeking treatment.

On the report, Nevada, South Dakota, and Montana were listed as the most gambling-addicted states. Though they found that South Dakota and Oklahoma have almost as many casinos and gaming machines as the state of Nevada.

When it comes to the least gambling-addicted states, Alaska, Vermont, and Utah were at the bottom of the list.  Out of these three states, Utah has the least amount of lottery sales per capita.

Also, the study found that Mississippi and Minnesota share the highest percentage of gambling addicts. States including California, Louisiana, Delaware and Nevada have the most gambling-related arrests.

While the gambling industry made a record $60 billion in revenue last year, U.S. consumers experience over $100 billion per year in total gambling losses annually. Gambling can become a real medical condition known as a gambling disorder.

It impacts about 1 to 3 percent of all U.S. adults. According to the Mayo Clinic, "Gambling can stimulate the brain's reward system much like drugs such as alcohol can, leading to addiction."

See the full list of 2023's Most Gambling Addicted States here.

Forbes recently dropped their 37^th Annual World's Billionaires List. It features a list of the wealthiest people in the world. They say there's a total of 2,640 billionaires in the world. Over 730 billionaires reside in the United States. These billionaires have made their money from manufacturing and food to grocery stores and mortgage lending.

On this year's list, Forbes added some newcomers. Elisabeth DeLuca, the widow of Subway cofounder Fred DeLuca and Annette Lerner who started a real estate company are new billionaires. Fun fact about Lerner: in 1952, she loaned $250 to her husband, Ted to start a real estate company, selling homes for developers.

Also, this year's list had some major changes compared to past lists. According to Forbes, the number of billionaires around the globe has declined from 2,668 in 2022 to 2,640 this year. They also said that the total billionaire wealth has dropped down by $500 billion to $12.2 trillion. A total of 254 people have lost their billionaire status altogether including Sam Bankman Fried, his FTX cofounder Gary Wang, and musician Kanye West.

Overall, most of the Forbes list of the World's Billionaires are self-made. "Meaning they founded or confounded their company or established their own fortune, rather than inheriting it," said Forbes.

When you think about Michigan billionaires, a few names might come to mind such as Dan Gilbert or Marian Ilitch. There are more billionaires in Michigan than you think.

Here are Michigan’s billionaires.

He owns a stake in his family's steel business, Zekelman Industries. Zekelman's net worth is $1.8 billion, ranking as the 1,647th wealthiest person in the world. Though he has citizenship in Canada, he is a resident of Bloomfield Hills.

He is the CEO of plastic container maker Plastipak, which makes more than $3 billion in annual sales. Young's net worth is $2 billion, ranking as the 1,516th wealthiest person in the world.

Former race car driver Roger Penske is the founder, chairman and CEO of publicly traded car and truck dealer Penske Automotive Group. Penske’s net worth is $3.2 billion, ranking as the 905th wealthiest person in the world.

She and her husband, Mike Ilitch, who died in 2017, cofounded Little Caesars Pizza in 1959. Her net worth is $4.3 billion, ranking as the 636th wealthiest person in the world.

Together they own the Michigan-based grocery chain Meijer. Each of them has a net worth is $4.6 billion, with a tie ranking as the 591st wealthiest people in the world. Mark has no role in day-to-day operations but serves on the company's board of directors.

He is chairman and CEO of Michigan-based mortgage lender United Wholesale Mortgage, now UWM Holdings, founded by his father Jeff in 1986. Ishbia's net worth is $5.4 billion, ranking as the 486th wealthiest person in the world.

She is a director of Stryker Corp., the medical equipment company founded by her grandfather, Homer Stryker who died in 1980. Her net worth is $6.9 billion, ranking as the 344th wealthiest person in the world.

Stryker's grandfather founded Stryker Corp., which sold $14.4 billion in medical equipment in 2020. His net worth is $4.3 billion, ranking as the 636th wealthiest person in the world.

Stryker is a philanthropist and founder of Bohemian Foundation, which supports music, community, global and civic programs. Her net worth is $3.2 billion, tied ranking as the 905th wealthiest person in the world.

He ran Stryker Corp., a medical device and software company, for 32 years before retiring as chairman in 2009. His net worth is $5.7 billion, tied ranking as the 445th wealthiest person in the world.

Gilbert cofounded what would become Quicken Loans, the largest mortgage lender in the U.S., in 1985 at 22 years old. His net worth is $20.6 billion, ranking as the 92nd wealthiest person in the world.