“What is casino tourism?” you ask.

Casino tourism refers to the travel and tourism activities associated with visiting casinos and casino resorts, along with attending local events and exploring regional attractions.

Casino tourism is just one segment of the travel and tourism industry. However, casino tourism’s significant increase in recent years has been a high-profile topic as casino tourism has been attracting millions of visitors to Las Vegas, Nevada, Macau, People’s Republic of China, and Monaco, Europe.

Cities such as Las Vegas, Macau, and Monaco are widely known for their entertainment, gambling, and culinary scenes. In addition, the development of integrated resorts that combine casinos, hotels, and entertainment venues attracts a diverse range of tourists as one-stop shops.

But there’s more than meets the eye. States such as California, New Jersey, and Oklahoma are also known for their entertainment, gambling, and culinary scenes. California has been ranked as No. 1 on the Casino Crowding Index, while Los Angeles, Calif. has been ranked as No. 3. Both California and Los Angeles, Calif. are most likely to feel overcrowded on the casino floor, per VegasInsider.

The Casino Crowding Index, from 0 to 100, analyzed the number of casinos, annual tourist visits, and resident populations across all 50 states and major U.S. cities to reveal where visitors are most likely to encounter congestion during peak seasons.

California led the top ten list in terms of the Casino Crowding Index with 86.35. Florida was the runner-up with 75.99. New York settled for third place with 65.51. Nevada earned fourth place with 64.39. Louisiana rounded out the top five with 61.64.

New Jersey received a sixth-place ranking with 61.48. Mississippi earned seventh place with 61.17. Oklahoma settled for eighth place with 59.95. Pennsylvania trailed for ninth place with 59.46. Arizona finished last in tenth place with 59.32.

California appears to be well-equipped when it comes to casinos. However, California’s 164 casinos still take in around 1.75 million tourist visits annually, giving the Golden State a Casino Crowding Index of 86.35 out of 100, the highest in the United States.

Regarding California, Los Angeles is among the most crowded cities in the Golden State. Despite having just nine casinos, each LA casino welcomes 5.4 million visitors annually, earning the City of Angels a Casino Crowding Index of 79.13 out of 100, the third highest in the U.S.

Aside from Los Angeles, several other California cities appeared in the Casino Crowding Index. San Diego ranked 20th in the U.S. with a CCI of 68.69, Sacramento ranked 28th with a CCI of 64.39, San Jose ranked 32nd with a CCI of 63.21, and Santa Rosa ranked 56th with a CCI of 51.86. All things considered, casino crowding is a statewide issue, not just confined to LA.

Other overcrowded states include Florida, which was ranked No. 2 with a Casino Crowding Index of 75.99, New York, which was ranked No. 3 with a CCI of 65.51, Nevada, which was ranked No. 4 with a CCI of 64.39, and Louisiana, which was ranked No. 5 with a CCI of 61.64. Florida, New York, Nevada, and Louisiana ranked among the busiest casino destinations in the United States.

Other overcrowded cities include Las Vegas, which was ranked No. 1 with a Casino Crowding Index of 90.48, New York City, which was ranked No. 2 with a CCI of 80.93, Philadelphia, which was ranked No. 4 with a CCI of 77.82, and Atlantic City, which was ranked No. 5 with a CCI of 77.63. Las Vegas, New York City, and Atlantic City rounded out the top five most overcrowded casino hubs in the United States.

“Crowding can have a big impact on the casino experience,” said a VegasInsider spokesperson. “For visitors planning casino trips to California or other busy hubs, it’s worth factoring in peak travel times and considering destinations with more space. For example, instead of Los Angeles, travelers might choose Santa Rosa, which sees nearly 30% less traffic. Our goal with the Casino Crowding Index is to help players plan ahead and know what to expect before stepping onto the gaming floor.”

Contrary to popular belief, not all cities and states are overcrowded in the United States. VegasInsider’s research shows Alabama, Alaska, New Hampshire, Wyoming, Kansas, Idaho, Arkansas, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Nebraska offer the most casino space and contain the least amount of crowding for visitors.

In contrast, several states stand out from the crowd due to the relaxed casino environments: Idaho, Arkansas, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Nebraska. Arkansas and Massachusetts see higher per-casino traffic, but the two states’ overall casino counts keep conditions far more manageable compared to busier, casino-scarce destinations.

VegasInsider measured the Casino Crowding Index by creating two traffic-based scores that combine into one: Per-casino Traffic Score, measuring the foot traffic per casino, and Location-wide Casino Traffic Score, calculating the greater statewide or citywide traffic.