Everyone has their own ideas about luck. For some, luck is coming across a four-leaf clover or winning the slot jackpot. For others, it’s spotting angel numbers, manifesting, or refusing to wash a “lucky” jersey during a winning streak.
But when it comes to America’s regulated online casino states, which ones lean into luck the most?
To find out which state is feeling the most lucky, BetMGM analyzed search behaviour across four states, looking at everything from gambling intention and lottery interest to astrology, manifestation, and sports rituals. The result? A full picture of how different states approach luck and which one truly lives and breathes it.
Here’s what the data shows.
Gambling Intent
BetMGM analyzed gambling strategy and casino-related intent searches, including terms like “how to win,” “improve odds,” “online slots,” and “blackjack strategy.”
Highest scoring state for gambling intent: Pennsylvania – 42.2
Pennsylvania narrowly leads this category, showing the strongest interest in improving odds and learning how to win. West Virginia follows closely, with a particularly strong interest in online slots and winning money online.
Interestingly, New Jersey, despite ranking first overall, places fourth in pure gambling intent, suggesting its “luck culture” goes beyond traditional strategy.
Superstition
Here, searches like “lucky charm,” “improve luck,” “four leaf clover meaning,” and “Irish luck” were explored.
Most superstitious state: Michigan – 45.4
Michigan takes the top spot here, making it the most superstitious casino state overall. It recorded the highest search interest for “improve luck”.
West Virginia scored noticeably lower in this category, suggesting superstition plays a smaller role compared to the other states.
Astrology
BetMGM analyzed horoscope searches, zodiac interest, Mercury retrograde queries, and angel numbers like 111, 777, and 888.
Top astrology-driven state: New Jersey – 47.2
New Jersey leads when it comes to astrology-related searches, including “horoscope today” and “Mercury retrograde luck.” It also ranks highest for angel number searches, pointing to a strong interest in cosmic signs and numerical luck.
West Virginia recorded the lowest astrology engagement across the board.
Manifestation
This category included searches like “law of attraction,” “manifest money,” and “financial abundance.”
Top manifestation state: New Jersey – 60.1
This is where New Jersey really pulls ahead.
The state dominates manifestation culture. Searches such as “law of attraction money” and “financial abundance” are significantly higher here, suggesting residents aren’t just hoping for luck; they’re actively trying to attract it.
Lottery Interest
This category included search terms including “Powerball,” “Mega Millions,” “lottery jackpot,” and “winning lottery numbers.”
Most lottery-engaged state: Michigan – 50.2
Michigan ranks first for overall lottery interest, while West Virginia recorded peak scores for both “Powerball” and “Mega Millions.”
New Jersey places fourth here, another sign that its luck profile leans more toward manifestation and ritual than traditional lottery play.
Ritual and Charm Purchases
This analysis looked at searches such as “evil eye bracelet,” “crystal for luck,” “lucky bracelet,” and tarot-related terms.
State most likely to buy their luck: New Jersey – 54.9
New Jersey leads again, with exceptionally high interest in “evil eye bracelet” and “crystal for luck.”
Pennsylvania also shows a strong interest in physical symbols of luck, particularly crystals and tarot cards.
Sports Rituals
A range of searches like “lucky jersey,” “lucky socks,” “sports luck,” and “game rituals.”
Most ritual-driven sports betting state: New Jersey – 54.7
New Jersey ranks first for sports-related rituals, with standout interest in “lucky jersey.” Pennsylvania follows closely, suggesting a strong link between sports betting and ritual behaviour.
West Virginia shows relatively low engagement in sports-related luck rituals compared to the others.
Closing Thoughts
BetMGM knows that New Jersey is America’s luckiest online casino state, not just because of gambling intent, but because of a deeper cultural engagement with luck itself. In fact, in August 2024, a BetMGM player won a $6.5 million progressive jackpot, the largest in the history of online casinos in the U.S. at the time; it still stands as the biggest jackpot in BetMGM’s history.
At BetMGM Casino, the thrill of possibility is always within reach. With hundreds of online slots, table games, live dealer experiences, and exciting promotional offers, there’s always a new opportunity to test your luck.
Register to put your luck to the test at BetMGM.
Methodology
To determine America’s Luckiest Online Casino States, BetMGM analyzed Google Trends and search data across four regulated online casino states: West Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
Seven themed clusters were created to represent different expressions of luck-related behavior. Each cluster consisted of multiple high-intent keywords selected based on their relevance to luck. In total, 70 search terms were analyzed.
State-level interest scores were recorded for each keyword over the past 12 months. Cluster totals were calculated by summing keyword scores within each group, and averages were used to create comparable cluster scores.
Final Luck Index scores reflect the aggregated average across all seven clusters. States were then rank-ordered to determine America’s Luckiest Online Casino State.
The content provided in this blog is intended for entertainment purposes only. All views and opinions expressed are the authors and reflect their individual perspectives on related topics. This content should not be considered professional gambling advice or the official views of BetMGM LLC. Please gamble responsibly. If you or someone you know is experiencing issues related to gambling, seek help from a licensed health professional. This blog is not liable for any losses, damages, or consequences resulting from betting activities.
