A new poll finds a majority of likely voters in Massachusetts say they’ll vote against repealing the state’s casino gambling law.
The latest survey by the Western New England University Polling Institute found 52 percent of likely voters said they will vote no on Question 3, the casino law repeal initiative on next month’s Massachusetts election ballot.
Polling institute director Tim Vercellotti said the survey of 416 likely voters found 41 percent said they would vote to ban casinos with just 6 percent undecided and 1 percent declining to answer.
"The opponents of casinos have some work to do. They have some ground to make up between now and Nov.4th," said Vercellotti.
If Question 3 passes on November 4th, Las Vegas-style gambling would be outlawed in Massachusetts and the construction of resort casinos and a slots machine parlor would halt.
Vercellotti said the new polling data is in line with the findings in surveys going back several years that consistently found majority support for casino gambling in Massachusetts.
"Support tends to be higher among lower income groups, support tends to be higher with people with a high school diploma, or a little college. Those patterns emerged in this latest data as well. Public opinion is consistent on this issue."
Support for casinos was strongest among voters in central and eastern Massachusetts, and weakest in western Massachusetts, where 50 percent of voters said they plan to vote yes on Question 3.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has assigned a license for a resort casino to MGM in Springfield, awarded the greater Boston casino license to Wynn Resorts for a project in Everett, and given the slots parlor license to Penn National Gaming for a so-called racino in Plainville on the Rhode Island border.
Casino supporters have launched a well-funded campaign to defeat Question 3. The campaign’s first television ad, which features MGM’s Springfield project, began airing last week, as the WNEU poll was being conducted.
" That ad is a very interesting lesson in framing. It talks about jobs. It does not talk about gambling or casinos in a very explicit way. It is framed as an economic development issue," noted Vercellotti.
The Repeal the Casino Deal organization collected enough signatures, but then had to sue Attorney General Martha Coakley to get the question on the ballot. It left the repeal campaign financially drained and facing an uphill fight.
" The repeal forces need to focus on grassroots. They need to focus on canvassing, door-knocking and finally getting out the vote," said Vercellotti.
Vercellotti said he is keeping an eye on Roman Catholic voters because the state’s Catholic Bishops have called for repeal of the casino law. In the last presidential election Roman Catholics made up 55 percent of the state’s electorate.
" This block is worth watching this fall. What we see so far is Catholic voters are in support of casinos by very similar numbers as non-Catholics in Massachusetts."
James Driscoll, executive director of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, said the bishops will make Question 3 a point of emphasis in the weeks leading up to Nov. 4th
" They will speak out themselves and probably through the parishes and pastors in those parishes who will speak to individuals in their communities across the state on Sundays and other days of the week."
The Catholic Bishops were credited two years ago with helping to defeat a ballot question on physician- assisted suicide in Massachusetts.
Copyright 2014 WAMC Northeast Public Radio
