Gambling is losing its lustre as an immoral activity among Americans, despite conservatives’ view of gambling taking on a more pejorative flavor.

A new Gallup poll found that 71% of Americans view gambling as ‘morally acceptable’ while just 27% viewed gambling as ‘morally wrong.’ The ‘acceptable’ score is three points higher than the 2019 survey and the highest on record since Gallup began conducting the survey in 2003.

Only birth control (90%), alcohol (86%), divorce (77%) and sex between an unmarried man and woman (72%) reported higher ‘acceptable’ scores in the 2020 survey, which queried 1,028 adults via telephone (70% mobile, 30% landline) in the period spanning May 1-13.

Gambling’s score continues to improve with time, having scored only 67% in the morally acceptable column just four years ago. The ‘morally wrong’ score was unchanged from that 2016 survey, although it was down four points from 2019, which represented a three-point rise from 2018.