Poll : Voters Slightly Favor Casino Deals

A Field Poll of 866 likely voters interviewed Dec. 10-17 showed that 39 percent favor the four amended compact deals.

Thirty-three percent of poll respondents said they would vote "no" and reject the casino expansion compacts and twenty-eight percent were undecided.

On Propositions 94, 95, 96 and 97 – 64 percent of voters who favor increased Indian gambling in California said they supported the tribes' casino expansion agreements. But by a 52 percent to 18 percent margin, voters who oppose more Indian gambling were against the new tribal compacts.

"What is clear is that voters' opinions on these referenda are directly related to how they feel about the expansion of Indian gambling in California," said Mark DiCamillo, director of the California Field Poll. "If you're in favor of expanding Indian gambling, you're 4 to 1 in favor of these compacts. If you're opposed to expansion, you're 3 to 1 opposed."

"That's where the tug of war is going to take place."

While more voters favor the gambling compacts than oppose them, 45 percent of voters interviewed in the poll said they object to more Indian casino gambling in California. Forty-one percent of respondents said they favor more gambling, and 14 percent had no opinion.

DiCamillo said anti-gambling sentiment in California is down from a Field Poll in September 2006, when 50 percent of respondents said they opposed more tribal gambling and 39 percent said they favored increased Indian gambling in the state.

DiCamillo attributed the shift to millions of dollars in television advertising purchased by the four Southern California tribes. The ads, calling for "yes" votes on the Indian gambling agreements, argue that casino revenue-sharing agreements could add $9 billion to California's state coffers over 20 years.

"Especially in these tight budget times, we believe California will see the value in billions of dollars these agreements will bring to the state," said Roger Salazar, spokesman for the tribes' Coalition to Protect California's Budget & Economy. "If we are at 39 percent support and you still have nearly 30 percent of voters undecided, we believe we will be able to capture a majority of those voters."

Voters questioned in the latest Field Poll on the tribal compacts were read a condensed version of the Feb. 5 ballot statements for the referendums that excluded some details on environmental exemptions for the tribes.

In a previous poll that didn't include any actual ballot wording, 52 percent of poll respondents in October favored the Indian gambling compacts, compared with 35 percent opposed.

Shelly Sullivan, spokesman for the No on the Unfair Gambling Deals coalition, said the new poll indicates increasing skepticism among California voters over the casino expansions.

"I think once people are able to read the ballot summaries, that will improve our chances of educating voters on why these agreements are bad for California," said Sullivan, whose coalition is backed by the Bay Meadows and Hollywood Park race tracks, the Pala and United Auburn tribes, and the UNITE HERE hospitality workers union. "So far, millions and millions of dollars have been spent, reflecting only one side of the story," Sullivan said.

The new Field Poll reflected a gender gap on the casino expansions. By a 46 percent to 32 percent margin, male voters favored more tribal slot machines while female voters were evenly split.

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