65 Percent of Americans Say Online Poker Should Be Allowed

The Wall Street
Journal reports that
if fully legalized, by 2020 online gambling will generate the same
amount of revenue as Las Vegas and Atlantic City combined: $9.3
billion. While online gambling can be made legal at the state
level, Congress is considering several bills to legalize it
nationwide. The latest Reason-Rupe
pollfinds that a solid majority (65 percent) of Americans favor
legalizing online gambling, while 32 percent think government
should prohibit people from gambling in online poker games.

Majorities of all partisans favor allowing Americans to play
online poker, but independents who lean Republican were even more
likely to favor (75 percent) allowing people to play online poker
and Democrats were the least likely to favor (58 percent). Regular
Republicans (66 percent), non-partisan Independents (68 percent)
and independent-leaning Democrats (65 percent) also favor
legalizing online poker.

Lower-income Americans and those with a high school degree or
less are most likely to favor banning online gambling (41 percent),
but still 56 percent would favor legalization. In comparison, only
21 percent of post-graduates and 31 percent of high income
Americans favor the ban, (73 percent and 66 percent favor
legalization respectively).

Support for legalized online gambling decline with age; roughly
70 percent Americans under 55 favor legalization compared to 56
percent of those over 55.

Nationwide telephone poll conducted Dec 4-8 2013 interviewed
1011 adults on both mobile (506) and landline (505) phones, with a
margin of error +/- 3.7%. Princeton Survey Research Associates
International executed the nationwide Reason-Rupe survey. Columns
may not add up to 100% due to rounding. Full poll results,
detailed tables, and methodology found here. Sign
up for notifications of new releases of the Reason-Rupe
poll here.