Poll: Mass. residents still back casinos
The prospect of casinos remains popular with Bay State residents, although they don’t want them in their own city or town, according to a telephone survey from the Western New England University Polling Institute in Springfield.
The statewide survey of 477 adults, conducted from March 31 through April 7, found that 59 percent of adults said they support establishing casinos in Massachusetts, while 34 percent were opposed and seven percent were either undecided or declined to answer the question.
The margin of sampling error for the survey was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
But while support for casinos in the state remains strong, a majority of survey respondents – 55 percent – said they oppose having one in their community, while 42 percent said they would support one. (Three percent were undecided or declined to answer the question.)
The results were almost identical to the institute’s previous survey on the issue, conducted in November. In that survey, 61 percent supported establishing casinos in the state, while 33 percent were opposed. Yet, when asked whether they support or oppose having a casino in their community, 55 percent said they were opposed; 42 percent indicated support.
Tim Vercellotti, director of the Polling Institute and a professor of political science at Western New England University, said the latest results are roughly consistent with the institute’s findings from surveys dating back to 2009, even with the recent developments regarding casinos in the Bay State, he said.
The state gaming commission has awarded the sole slots parlor license under the 2011 gambling expansion law. Penn National Gaming recently began construction on the site, in Plainville. Full-resort casinos are being proposed for Springfield, Revere and Everett, although only one of the latter two cities would be awarded the license for the eastern end of the state.
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