Another poll has been released on whether New Jersey voters support casino expansion in the state and this one shows support for the idea is going down.
The Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll found 57 percent of respondents oppose casino expansion, while 35 percent support it. The support for the casinos has dropped from an FDU poll in January when 50 percent said they opposed expanding casino gambling beyond Atlantic City and 42 percent were in favor.
“PublicMind has been asking about casino expansion since 2009. Support for casino expansion is about where it was in 2015,” said Krista Jenkins, professor of political science and director of PublicMind. “Getting people to a casino first seems to help drive support. But even among those who have dropped some chips on a table or coins into a machine, a majority are opposed to expansion beyond AC.
“Favorable attitudes toward expansion have never been part of the landscape,” Jenkins said in the press statement. “This suggests the supporters of this amendment will continue to experience an uphill battle convincing voters that casinos beyond Atlantic City are a worthwhile investment in local economies.”
The poll found that men and those with a recent history of casino attendance are the most likely to support expansion, and men are supportive of sharing tax revenue with AC.
Forty one percent of men support expansion, compared with a third of women (33 percent), and half of men (48 percent) favor sharing tax revenue while only 36 percent of women say the same. Half (50 percent) of casino-goers favor expansion, with 30 percent of those without a recent history at a casino in favor of allowing casinos to open in other parts of the state.
The referendum, if approved, would allow two new casino projects to be built in the northern part of the state near New York City. The referendum does not specify locations, but The Meadowlands and Jersey City are considered the leading contenders.
At the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, track operator Jeff Gural and Hard Rock International want to add a casino, and in Jersey City, footwear magnate Paul Fireman proposes a casino resort costing up to $5 billion.
The plan calls for tax revenue from the new casinos to be diverted to help Atlantic City’s redevelopment away from casino gaming, but does not set a specific amount.
The telephone poll of 712 registered voters conducted from June 22-26 has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.
