Life is full of risks. We as humans make on average of 35,000 (!!!) decisions every single day. It's almost unfathomable to grasp. With certain decisions come risks. According to a new study by Gambling.com, however, Iowans aren't very risky in the day-to-day decisions they make.

Gambling.com analyzed a great deal of data for this study, including annual lottery sales (per capita); searches for extreme sports; new business applications; and other factors as well. Here's a quick distillation of their methodology:

Photo Credit: Elena Mozhvilo
Photo Credit: Elena Mozhvilo
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  • Annual Lottery Sales per Capita
  • The average amount a person from that state spends on lottery tickets over the course of a year
  • Searches for “Extreme Sports” (per 10,000 of population)
  • Annual search volumes for the terms Skydiving and Bungee Jumping in each state.
  • Business Applications (per 10,000 of population)
  • The number of business applications made during a year.
  • State Migration Rates (per 10,000 of population)
  • The number of people living in a state who were residents in a different state the year prior.
  • Cryptocurrency Searches (per 10,000 of population)
  • Annual Search volumes for the term "Cryptocurrency" in each state.

Iowa was revealed to be one of the most risk-averse states in America, according to Gambling.com, scoring just 6.0 out of 50 on the Risky States Index! Only Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Alabama were found to be less risky.

Iowa's annual lottery sales per capita was just $116.28. Searches for things like cryptocurrency and extreme sports were paltry compared to other states. Iowa also had the lowest number of new business applications per year (per 10,000) at just 6.6.

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Having the highest score out of every state in the US in three of the five factors analyzed, Wyoming is crowned the Riskiest State in America with an index score of 34.8 out of 50. Delaware came in at second place with a high ranking in every “Risk Factor” and an overall index score of 27.2, followed by Hawaii who managed to secure third place without even having a lottery! - Gambling.com

Here were some other findings unearthed by Gambling.com's study:

  • Researchers at Gambling.com have created the “Riskiest States in America Index”, which ranks every US State based on how many risks their residents seek to take every year.
  • The factors, that were taken into account to create the index, include Search Volumes for Extreme Sports, New Business Applications and Annual Lottery Spend.
  • Wyoming was revealed to be home to the biggest risk takers in the nation, with an index score of 34.8, and Louisiana finished bottom of the ranking with an index score of just 3.2.
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