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Posts Tagged ‘poll’

Oregon Heads to Polls on Measure 75

Friday, November 5th, 2010

Measure 75 is the new move up for debate in Oregon. The state’s voters are going to visit the polls and tell their opinions on the issue so there will be no doubt where the majority stands. Measure 75 is a casino gaming proposition that has been included in the ballot. This is a sign of how important gambling is these days. Not only are companies and legislators fighting it out, but the people’s collective opinions are being rallied to add support to whatever side is stronger. Informal studies showed that voters were on the side of legalizing gambling because of two reasons: money and jobs. They are concerned about money because the government needs it. Traditionally when a government needs money they raise taxes. Voters don’t want added tax strains to deal with. They want to stay at the level of tax they are now, or even bring it down. The hope is that if casinos open, that could possibly substitute for a heftier tax law that would strain residents. The other big asset to bringing in casino gambling is jobs. There are still millions of people without jobs in the market. They know that to reinvigorate their own budgets, they need to find more available employers. A big name casino built in the area could be the answer. These are the two most convincing part of deciding to vote yes on Measure 75. It is estimated that if a casino was allowed it would bring in $150 million to the state every year and create over 5,000 new jobs for the local residents.
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Of course there is another side. There are still opponents to the proposition. They are citing that bringing casino gambling to the state would bring in crime and that alone is too big a problem to take a chance at. The entire argument over the issue is centered on the Multnomah Kennel Club location. Of course the facility right now is abandoned and empty, but it would take only a good gaming company to come in and revamp that. Whether or not they get the chance has yet to be seen.

Texans Changing their Position on Gambling

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

One of the tools many states are using to find out where they stand in terms of gambling is polls. It is a great way to gauge how residents feel and see where an official vote might likely decide. States all over the country are using polls as a way to get insight into how people feel and an overwhelming amount of people are swayed into the pro-gambling position. A huge part of their reasoning is because gambling would bring in so much revenue, they want to know what the public perception is and if they indeed would be gambling at the casinos. A lot of the decision of gambling depends in individual perception of personal funds and the market that operators are concerned. If the country isn’t as far out of the recession as people would like, it may hamper their return to gambling. This is a huge concern of state legislators and they are all trying to formulate gaming laws. In Texas, the same debates are raging. Historically Texas has always been a conservative state that has little use for gambling. Lawmakers have tried to bring gaming into the state, only to be shot down time and time again. That could be changing though.

A recent poll of Texans showed that a growing number of residents believe that some form of gambling may serve the state well. When it comes to supporting a full-service casino, polls showed that 29% of residents were in support of the idea. Though that isn’t a huge amount, it still is a considerable gain since the state in the past has been so anti-gambling. In addition, the poll showed that 21% would be in favor of bringing gambling to existing wager facilities like race tracks throughout the state. Those two numbers, though low, are indicative of a changing climate when it comes to gambling in the state. It could be that budget shortfalls are going to push the idea of gambling to the forefront and possibly be the deciding factor with legislators. They were hard hit by the recession just like other states and have few options when it comes to economic recovery.

Do People Still Believe the Myths of Online Gambling?

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Dickinson University just did a poll that showed some interesting things about the beliefs people have regarding online gambling in the US. For a long time now gambling has been a topic of debate. Since the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, legislators everywhere have been attempting to write new rules that regulate and legalize online gambling. It is taking longer than anticipated and the repercussion is that many US gamblers are moving to offshore companies to handle their online gambling needs. This means that billions of American dollars have been channeled out of the country and into offshore companies. The money that the US is passing up on due to inadequate laws is a hefty cost– especially for a nation that has to struggle with an economy that was ravished by the recession of past years.

According to the recent poll conducted by Dickinson University, about two-thirds of the US population still believe that law shouldn’t be changed to allow licensed and regulated online gambling in the US. Unfortunately, it seems that Americans continue to believe in the myth that online gambling is illegal on a federal level. In reality, their is no federal law that makes the act of gambling online a crime in the US. There have been so many negative rumors and prejudices againt online gambling by government politicians, religious groups, and other social organizations over the last several years. This negative publicity has obviously affected American perception of online gaming. Their have always been concerns over problem gambling and underage gambling in the online gambling industry, but university and government studies have already concluded that the industry poses no significant threat to addicts or children.

The main stream media outlets as well as competiting news organizations in the casino industry should give exposure to the studies done by Harvard Medical School and other prominent schools that have shown that online gambling poses no real threat within the United States. As the US government prepares to regulate the online gambling industry, Americans will need to be educated on what exactly the rules are and what the repercussions of online gaming are. They are not as dangerous as many believe that that is an idea that needs to be shared with the general US public.

Polls in Illinois Oppose Slot Expansion

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Des Plaines 3rd Ward Alderman Matt Bogusz urged the city council Monday night to strongly oppose video gambling machines in town because they would hurt the city’s planned casino. The new video poker legislation, approved by the Illinois House and Senate but not yet signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn, could put more than 45,000 such devices in establishments across the state. This legislation would allow any type of establishment with a liquor license to allow video gambling.  Once legislation passes, municipalities would still have the right to ban them, however. “‘We need to be on the forefront of opposing gaming expansion,” Bogusz said.

The problem with the expansion is that it would cut into slots revenue for casinos in the state. There is a lot of revenue to be had in states, but there is a limited amount of revenue. Everyone wants a piece of the gambling pie these days and as many states move towards regulation and legalization of the hobby, the rules are still sketchy. It’s the first time that gambling will be used to fund state budgets and overcome the states’ deficits. No one knows how exactly it will flesh out or how everyone will be made happy by bringing gambling into the states. It is the first time each state is tampering with new gaming laws and legislators are debating how the laws should read. The only real law so far is the UIGEA. That is a law that targeted financial institutions. It focused on hampering banks from handling transactions to deposit or withdraw money if they were related to gambling online. The biggest problem states had was that due to the lack of ways for people to gamble, sent them to offshore gambling operators. Though the state legislators initially thought that the UIGEA, or Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, of 2006 would thwart gambling, all it did was send gamblers out of the country…along with millions of dollars.

Now, states learned their lessons and want to bring in gambling. The problem lies in how to regulate the hobby for the purpose of maximizing revenue. That is what legislators are tasked with doing now as 2010 begins. They want to create a law that unlike the UIGEA, efficiently regulates gambling and opens the door for states to reap the rewards.