Expand Casino Gambling Beyond Atlantic City?
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Tabular Results
Survey Details
According to the latest poll results from Fairleigh Dickinson University, 70% of voters say they oppose expanding casino gambling to other areas in the state. Opposition includes men and women, all age groups and both liberals and conservatives. Just one in four (24%) say they favor the idea. Another 6% are unsure.
"The shortfall of revenue in Atlantic City means a shortfall in revenue for the state,” said Professor Donald Hoover, who teaches in the FDU’s International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, following a career working for Tropicana in Atlantic City. “Some people think we could keep more money in New Jersey if there were casinos to play in elsewhere in the state.”
“Right now, Atlantic City is losing on several fronts,” Hoover added. “It’s been hit by the bust in bank lending, hit by the bust in consumer spending and hit by competition from new casinos in nearby states.”
Voter opinion does not differ even between those who’ve been to a casino in the past 12 months and those who have not.
Peter Woolley, the poll director, said, “For now, the results are loud and clear: What happens in Atlantic City, stays in Atlantic City. But with the expansion of gambling all over the country and in neighboring states, this issue is not likely to go away,” he added.
The Fairleigh Dickinson University poll of 751 registered voters statewide was conducted by telephone from Feb. 25, 2009 through March 2, 2009, and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.