War of the internet polls continues in the USA
News on 19 Feb 2014
News on 19 Feb 2014
The Adelson-funded Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling recently published the findings of a poll that purported to show that most Americans were not in favour of legalised online gambling, and now the opposing Coalition for Consumer and Online Protections has responded with a poll of its own showing the opposite, perhaps illustrating that polls can often deliver what you want them to.
The Washington DC publication The Hill was among many publications that carried the results of the Coalition for Consumer and Online Protections study, which was conducted by the independent but Republican-leaning North Star Opinion polling firm.
The study embraced a thousand adult Americans nationwide, and included 39 voters from the legalised online gambling states of New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada.
North Star Opinion concluded that most people believe individual US states should decide whether to regulate online gambling and they are therefore opposed to any federal ban.
Three out of four respondents believed that individual states should have the right to legalise online gambling for their own citizens, with 57 percent of respondents voicing opposition to federal interference in the form of a nationwide ban on internet gambling.
The survey sample found wide bipartisan support, including 74 percent of Republicans and 70 percent of Democrats.
About two-thirds of voters also said a potential congressional ban would “trample on the rights” of states that have already legalised online gambling.
The survey found that 63 percent of respondents agree with the assertion that a federal ban would promote illegal black market gambling with companies that operate overseas and are not regulated.
On the negative side, 22 percent of respondents “strongly support” a federal ban on online gambling.
Releasing the poll results, Coalition for Consumer and Online Protections spokesperson Alison Harden Siciliano said:
“The American public doesn’t want Congress to pass a sweeping ban of all online gaming. A nationwide ban would put more Americans at risk online, and allow the current overseas, black market gambling operations to thrive.
“Voters acknowledge that they may not personally engage in online gaming, but support the rights of other Americans to do so.”
The new poll is the latest in the series of opposing views put forward by the CSIG, a pro-banning action group funded by land gambling mogul Sheldon Adelson, and the Coalition for Consumer and Online Protections, a similar organisation with an opposing view that includes the MGM International land gambling group, the Poker Players Alliance and the American Gaming Association among its supporters.
