A new poll finds that most people believe the states should decide whether to regulate online gambling and opposed a federal ban.
The Coalition for Consumer and Online Protections, a gambling advocacy group, released the results of a survey that found three out of four voters believe states should have the right to legalize online gambling for their own citizens. The poll also found that 57 percent of voters are opposed to a federal ban.
“The American public doesn’t want Congress to pass a sweeping ban of all online gaming,” Alison Harden Siciliano, C4COP spokeswoman, said in a statement. “A nationwide ban would put more Americans at risk online, and allow the current overseas, black market gambling operations to thrive.”
Online gambling opponents are calling for a federal ban on online gambling. Three states—New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada—have approved intra-state online gambling for their residents.
The survey, conducted during the last week of January, interviewed 1,000 voters across the country, including 39 voters combined from New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware, the coalition said. The survey was conducted by North Star Opinion.
The survey found that 74 percent of Republicans and 70 percent of Democrats believe states should be allowed to regulate online gambling. About two-thirds of voters also said a potential congressional ban would “trample on the rights” of states that have already legalized online gambling.
The survey found that 63 percent of voters agree with the assertion that a federal ban would promote illegal black market gambling with companies that operate overseas and are not regulated.
However, the survey also found that 22 percent of voters “strongly support” a federal ban on online gambling.
C4COP is backed by gambling industry leaders such as the American Gaming Association, MGM and Poker Players Alliance, which all support federal legislation allowing online gaming.
