Sheldon Adelson's Survey Reveals "Universal Opposition" to Internet Poker
Online poker opponent and Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson recently commissioned The Tarrance Group, a Republican strategic research and polling firm, to survey voter attitudes toward Internet gambling. According to a Memorandum released on Oct. 9 by Tarrance’s Dave Sackett, data from four states — California, Kentucky, Virginia, and Pennsylvania — “shows a universal opposition to any proposal that would legalize Internet gambling or internet poker.”
“These key findings are based on telephone interviews with a total of N=2,216 ‘likely’ registered voters throughout these four states,” the Memorandum states. “Responses to this survey were gathered during the period between June-October, 2013. The margin of error associated with the sample for each of these studies is + 4.3% in 95 out of 100 cases.”
Here are some of the more notable key findings:
- Voters in these four states are largely “pro-gaming.” Sixty percent (60%) of voters in these four states approve of their state allowing gaming as a way to generate revenue for the state, and only thirty-five percent (35%) are opposed.
- A majority of voters in both California and Pennsylvania favor their state expanding gambling as a way to generate additional revenue for the state to help deal with budget issues.
- The data from the surveys in Kentucky and Virginia found strong support for the current ban on internet gambling, with almost 60% indicating that they favor the current ban on internet gambling.
The study also stated that voters view internet gambling/poker very differently than they do traditional forms of gambling
Online vs. Traditional Gambling
| PA | CA | KY | VA | Mean | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No difference | 27% | 30% | 32% | 31% | 30% |
| Very different | 63% | 58% | 51% | 56% | 57% |
To read the Memorandum in its entirety, click here.
Adelson, who has faced repeated roadblocks in trying to establish EuroVegas in Spain, has called Internet poker fool's gold economically, a plague and cancer waiting to happen morally, and — in an insult to poker players everywhere — not even a game of skill. It is expected Adelson will use the data from the study in his fight against online poker and to possibly influence legislators.
*Photo courtesy of usnews.com.
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