New Poll By Pew Shows No New Support for Casinos Despite PR Push

For Immediate Release

Yesterday, Feb. 9, the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Philadelphia Research Initiative released an opinion poll showing support for casinos remains unchanged since April and opposition to casinos dropped from 41% to 34%; but they offer no explanation in the report. Casino-Free Philadelphia believes the poll most likely reflects polling error, and the massive amounts of money casinos have spent on public relations.

“There are some problems with the poll, mainly the context of the questions,” said Dan Hajdo, spokesperson for Casino-Free Philadelphia, “but the latest casino PR assault makes it look like everyone’s going to Disney World, with magical tax cuts and jobs for everyone. In the real world, casinos cost more in addiction services, policing, and job loss when local businesses close than the tiny payoffs casinos might send to Harrisburg.”

The context of the questions about casinos is the main problem with the poll. The poll asks a long series of questions about service cuts and tax cuts, and ends with two questions on casinos. This primes the respondent to think about the promised tax cuts. Also, we also do not know if the change in percentages is statistically significant.

“Philadelphians don't have first-hand experience with casinos and the truth hasn’t gotten out yet, politicians and casinos have hidden it and” says Hajdo. “People who’ve read the research, and experienced the harm casinos bring are willing to put their bodies on the line; people like the 14 who were arrested in September and go to trial this upcoming Tuesday, the 16th.”

The defendants all have powerful stories about why they oppose casinos; stories that the city needs to hear.

Casino-Free Philadelphia's mission is to stop casinos from coming to Philadelphia and close any that open. The social and economic costs of predatory gambling are plainly apparent from an industry reliant on addiction to survive. Visit us online at www.CasinoFreePhila.org.

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