A recent report from consumer, product and media intelligence firm Mintel International Group Limited has found that casino attendance in America has decreased over the previous eight years due, in part, to the rising popularity of online gambling.The international organisation stated that its recent research found that 30 percent of American adults had visited a casino in the past year, which was down from 35 percent in 2001.This shift has been gradual, which suggests that this is not a result of the recession, said Billy Hulkower, a senior analyst for Mintel.Casinos may be losing audience to the increasingly compelling entertainment offerings in the home such as HDTV, high-end video game systems and the Internet including Internet gambling.Despite a prohibition on transferring funds to gambling sites, Mintel found that twelve percent of adults had visited an online casino over the past year. The group also stated that men were significantly more likely to play poker or other games online, on average visiting such domains five times over the past year compared to only once for women.Of those that had visited a land-based casino over the previous twelve months, Mintel found that 27 percent had been venues located on Indian reservations followed by Las Vegas at 24 percent and Atlantic City with 12 percent. The firm stated that adults aged 25 to 34 were the most likely group to have visited a casino over the last year at 56 percent due to not yet feeling the full brunt of family financial responsibilities.Mintel stated that, on average, adults who visited a casino won or lost more than $330 with men averaging considerably more in wagers at $501 compared with $140.Men take more risks in their gambling behaviour and will remain the key customer base for casino operators, said Hulkower.
