52% Prefer Regulation Of Internet Gambling
Published: Thursday, October 19, 2006 Online-Casinos.com
POLLING COMPANY: 52 PERCENT PREFER TIGHTER REGULATION OF INTERNET GAMBLING
40 percent say that online gambling should be illegal - but 41 percent disagree
"There are lies, damned lies and statistics" goes the aphorism widely attributed to Mark Twain in a cynical take on surveys, but these days research companies can usually deliver reliable figures to back their findings, and so it is with Rasmussen Reports.
Following heightened interest in online gambling caused by the recent introduction of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, the polling company released statistics that show that fifty-two percent (52 percent) of respondents to a recent Rasmussen Reports survey on Internet gambling believe this emerging betting medium should be more strictly regulated than other forms of gambling. Twenty-nine percent (29 percent) disagreed, and presumably the remainder were ambivalent on the issue.
Overall, 40 percent of respondents believe online gambling should be illegal, but 41 percent disagree.
The U.S. Senate falls in the camp of those who believe online gambling should be illegal, says Rasmussen, commenting that the strong attention to the issue comes despite apparently low traffic to online gambling sites. Only 3 percent of those surveyed say they've gambled on the Internet; 96 percent have not, suggesting that there may be a need for wider public education on the industry and the many positive points in its favour.
When it comes to [online] lotteries, which are often the exclusive preserve of state governments, it becomes clearer why there are competitive sensitivities among legislators at state level. Seventy one percent of respondents (71 percent) say they have purchased lottery tickets and 34 percent report having participated in a sports betting pool or betting on a sporting event.
The legislation approved by the Senate last week contained noticeable "carve-outs" for online horse racing bets, fantasy leagues or lotteries.
Men are slightly more likely than women to gamble online and purchase lottery tickets. The genders divide, however, when it comes to sports betting-46 percent of men and 23 percent of women say they've gambled on sporting events or participated in pools.
Techno-savvy gamblers are spending considerable dollars to build this emerging industry, says Rasmussen. Revenue from Internet gambling sites is estimated to reach $23 billion by 2009 according to Christiansen Capital Advisors. And for those who do like to try their luck online, there is no shortage of sites for them to visit. USA Today reports that the number of online gambling Web sites has increased from 30 in 1994 to more than 2 000 in 2005
The crunch for Internet gambling comes in the section of the report regarding the views of Republicans: Forty-seven percent (47 percent) say online gambling should be illegal and 33 percent say it should not. Democrats are more evenly divided with 41 percent on each side of the issue.
