As the Massachusetts Senate debates a bill authorizing three resort casinos and a slots parlor; it appears support for the gambling expansion bill is vibrant as survey results show 56 percent of the state’s residents support the measure.
According to the results of the survey, 31 percent of the respondents opposed the plan and 13 percent were undecided.
The survey, conducted by Center for Policy Analysis at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, asked 552 residents, “Do you support or oppose the plan proposed by the governor and legislative leaders to authorize destination resort casinos in southeastern Massachusetts, western Massachusetts and greater Boston, and to allow a small slot parlor at a location to be determined through competitive bidding?”
Clyde Barrow, the center’s director and poll supervisor, said in a statement accompanying the release of the survey results.
“It is clear from this survey and previous ones conducted by the (Center for Policy Analysis), as well as polls conducted by other academic institutes and media outlets during the past several years, that the jury is in on expanded gaming: Massachusetts residents want it; they support it; and they believe it provides significant fiscal and economic benefits to the Commonwealth.”- The Day
The residents have been on board, it’s the lawmakers that have been dragging their feet.
Last year, a poll conducted by the Center for Policy Analysis showed that 53 percent of Massachusetts residents supported a proposal by Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo to authorize two resort casinos and a limited number of slot machines at the state’s racetracks.
“No matter how you ask the question, the public’s answer is always the same and its support for expanded gaming is unwavering,” Barrow said. – The Day
