LAS VEGAS — If you are an affluent "trendsetter" who is financially responsible, then you just might be a gambler, according to a survey released last week by Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

The latest survey by the world's largest casino company used interviews of 2,000 adults and a survey questionnaire of 57,000 people last year to profile a typical American gambler.

It found the median household income of those who gambled in the previous 12 months was $56,663, compared with $48,997 for the U.S. population 21 and older. Some 31 percent of those who earned more than $95,000 a year gambled, compared with 20 percent of those who made less than $35,000.

More gamblers, or 79 percent, had a computer at home than nongamblers, at 65 percent.

Some 71 percent of gamblers owned a DVD player, while 59 percent of nongamblers did, it said. Some 21 percent of gamblers also said they were likely to be the first to try new restaurants, versus 12 percent of nongamblers, according to the survey, which is a follow-up to one conducted in 2004.

"We discovered that they are often asked by friends and neighbors for advice on food, travel, new technology — even home decorating and automotive choices," Harrah's chief executive Gary Loveman said in a statement.

"Just as gamblers like to try new activities, they also tend to be the first to buy new products, and to tell their families and friends about the experience," he said.

Observers said the casino company was trying to show that gamblers were innovators who would get others to visit casinos as well.

"What their hope is that someone becomes a loyal customer of theirs and they get some of their neighbors and associates to view Harrah's as a positive brand as well," said Matthew Jacob, an analyst with investor research firm Majestic Research Corp.

David Schwartz, coordinator of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Gaming Studies Research Center, said some Harrah's findings match other surveys that show the typical Vegas visitor is getting wealthier and spending more.

"They're showing that gamblers are in some ways perfect libertarians because they're fiscal conservatives," he said. "They save for the future. But they're also progressive and experimental."

According to the survey, 46 percent of gamblers expect to have enough money to live comfortably in retirement, versus 37 percent of nongamblers. Some 65 percent of gamblers said they put aside money regularly, separately from pension plans, compared with 46 percent of nongamblers.

Nongamblers were found to be more religious, with 38 percent associating "being true to God" with personal success, compared with 24 percent of gamblers. Some 49 percent of nongamblers also said religion was "very important" in their lives, compared with 39 percent of gamblers.

Some 25 percent of U.S. adults, or 52.8 million, visited a casino in the past 12 months and averaged 6.1 visits per year, the survey said. That compared with 26 percent of U.S. adults, or 53.4 million visitors, and 5.8 visits a year in the 2004 survey.