- 53 percent of those polled support legalized casino gambling
- Support crosses political affiliation lines
- Third of those polled don't support legalized casino gaming
Floridians are in support of legalizing casino gambling, according to the Bay News 9/News 13 Exclusive Statewide poll.
"I'm all for it," said Hillsborough resident Maggie McGovern-Millstein. "I think it would be great tax revenue and I just can't understand why we don't have it."
In the poll, 53 percent said they support legalizing casino gaming in Florida. A little more than a third of those polled - 34 percent - say they oppose legalizing casino gaming, while 14 percent are not sure.
Hillsborough resident Chuck Tortorice is one of those who says he doesn't support it.
"I don't believe in legalized gambling," he said.
Casino gaming has long been a controversial issue in Florida. Both the Seminole tribe and the State have federal lawsuits pending after their agreement to allow blackjack tables expired last year.
Recently, state lawmakers rejected a $3 billion proposal with the Seminole tribe that would have expanded gambling across the state. The deal would have allowed the tribe to have roulette and crap tables at their casinos.
The tribe, in return, promised to add thousands of new jobs. Now, a tribe spokesman said the tribe is reviewing their options. However, part of the gambling revenue is still being given to the state.
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"It's very much inside baseball," said Republican political analyst Chris Ingram.
Ingram said the gaming issue really comes down to lawmakers and the political contributions they receive from lobbyists.
"It's one of those issues that they would love to have never have decided because every year the issue is not decided means it's going to be brought up the next year and the powers that be on both sides will continue to make their bank accounts flush with cash," Ingram said.
There is a petition for a constitutional amendment that would give voters control of whether to allow casino gambling in Florida. That petition needs more than 680,000 signatures to make it on the ballot by 2018.
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- March 15 starting at 5 p.m.
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- Tampa Bay local election results on Bay News 9
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Detailed Poll Results
Q: Do you support or oppose legalizing casino gaming in Florida?
| All | Gender | Age | Race | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-49 | 50-64 | 65+ | White | Black | Asian/ Other |
||
| Support | 53% | 60% | 46% | 59% | 60% | 49% | 46% | 54% | 49% | 45% |
| Oppose | 34% | 30% | 37% | 22% | 22% | 41% | 43% | 34% | 33% | 34% |
| Not Sure | 14% | 10% | 17% | 19% | 18% | 10% | 11% | 12% | 18% | 21% |
| Composition of Registered Voters | 100% | 48% | 52% | 17% | 25% | 31% | 27% | 80% | 13% | 7% |
| Party Affiliation | |||||||
| Strong Rep. |
Republican | Ind. lean Rep. |
Independent | Ind. lean Dem. |
Democrat | Strong Dem. |
|
| Support | 50% | 55% | 53% | 51% | 57% | 54% | 50% |
| Oppose | 41% | 33% | 36% | 28% | 27% | 30% | 35% |
| Not Sure | 9% | 12% | 10% | 21% | 16% | 16% | 16% |
| Composition of Registered Voters | 20% | 15% | 14% | 10% | 9% | 17% | 15% |
Surveyed: 2,204 registered voters
Margin of sampling error: ± 2.1%
This Florida Decides Exclusive Statewide Poll was conducted by SurveyUSA from March 4-6. Pollsters surveyed 2,450 likely voters via home phones and smart devices. Respondents reachable on a home phone were interviewed on their home telephone in the recorded voice of a professional announcer. Respondents who were not reachable by home phone were shown a questionnaire on their smartphone, tablet or other device.