In a poll that presents a skewed version of events, the Sheldon Adelson-led Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling has presented a poll that “shows” the citizens of Pennsylvania “don’t want” online gaming regulation in the Keystone State.
On the CSIG website, a new article is presented (oddly with no author) that is entitled “New Poll Shows Pennsylvania Voters Adamantly Opposed to Online Gambling.” The article looks at statistics that were compiled by the polling firm Harper Polling, which is a popular “robo-polling” (automated calls) outlet for Republican interests. In fact, the organization was founded after GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was thumped in the 2012 Presidential race (with Republican polling outlets saying Romney would win in a landslide) by President Barack Obama with the goal of “giving Republicans high volume, inexpensive robo-polling.”
In the poll, Harper Polling doesn’t report the form of any questions (Strike One) that were asked of the 513 registered voters (Strike Two), but draws what Harper Polling says are “clear results” (to call anything “clear results” is Strike Three). According to Harper Polling, 73% of the respondents in the survey were opposed to internet gambling and 68% believed that internet gambling is “completely different” from tradition land-based gambling (once again, the form of the question isn’t disclosed). Finally, the respondents say that they were 54% “more likely” to vote against a Pennsylvania legislator who supports internet gambling.
“In today’s polarized political climate,” the Harper Polling study concludes, “three-quarters of people rarely agree on anything, but on internet gambling, the Commonwealth’s voters felt strongly and are united. They are deeply opposed to legalizing internet gambling.”
As pointed out above, however, the Harper Polling report has several flaws in its execution. Normally when a survey is released touting its results, the entirety of the survey is released including the verbiage of the questions posed in said survey. The Harper Polling survey at no point demonstrates how the questions were asked to the respondents, which is a benchmark that is set for any non-biased research.
Strike Two – the size of the survey’s respondents – is pitifully small when compared to the potential number of voters in the state of Pennsylvania. In the 2012 elections (the closest example that we have to what the 2016 elections will be like), 5.67 million headed to the polls in the state. For Harper Polling to use only 513 respondents – and potentially respondents that are skewed because of the political affiliation of the survey company – to judge the will of Keystone State residents (for those wondering, the 513 respondents represent about .01% of the Pennsylvania voting public) is poor research and do not present “clear results” as boasted by the survey.
The results of the survey, while very skewed towards the results that Adelson’s CSIG wants, aren’t exactly out of the question for Pennsylvania, however. In December 2013, a Quinnipiac Poll (one of the most respected academic polling outlets in the United States that has received national recognition) showed that, while Pennsylvanians are supportive of legalized gaming by a 55%/37% margin and support expanding land-based casino gaming in the state (70%), the citizens weren’t as welcoming regarding online gaming in the state. The Quinnipiac Poll in 2013 showed that, by a 62%/33% margin, Pennsylvania voters were against online gaming because it, along with more land-based casinos, would “lead to more addiction,” according to respondents. There hasn’t been any other polls (pro or con) regarding online gaming conducted since then other than what appears to be the CSIG-suggested poll that is reported here.
Currently, the state of Pennsylvania has taken the inside pole towards becoming the next state to legalize and regulate online gaming within its borders at some point in 2015. Three bills have been presented in the Pennsylvania legislature with one of them, State Representative John Payne’s House Bill 649 (HB 649), receiving a hearing in April and another scheduled hearing in May. There is opposition, however, as State Representative Thomas Murt has introduced legislation that is the 180-degree opposite of the current movement in the Pennsylvania legislature in looking to ban internet gaming outright inside the state’s borders.
The numbers from the CSIG-solicited poll shouldn’t be surprising in that, if the results didn’t show what the organization wanted, they wouldn’t have released the study. There is tremendous competition in the area surrounding Pennsylvania regarding live and online gaming, however, with New Jersey and Delaware already offering online casino gaming and poker and a slew of states competing with them on the live gaming front. This is but one of the many facets to consider in the ongoing battle regarding online gaming and poker regulation in the Keystone State and whether they want their piece of the action or not.
