Lawmakers scrapped casino plans last year. Here's what NC adults think about more gambling
More than half of North Carolina adults support bringing casinos to rural parts of North Carolina, a new WRAL News poll found. A plan to do so never got a vote in the legislature.
Posted — UpdatedA majority of North Carolina adults support allowing casinos in rural parts of North Carolina, according to a new WRAL News poll released Friday — a finding that could inform future efforts to expand commercial gambling in the state.
The poll of 850 adults found that 55% support allowing casinos, with 20% saying they strongly support them and another 35% saying they somewhat support them. Less than 30% of respondents oppose casinos in rural parts of the state with 15% saying they somewhat oppose casinos and 13% strongly opposing them. Another 16% said they were not sure.
The strongest support for casinos in rural areas comes from: Men (25% strongly support), those under 50 (25%), those who identify as Black (27%) or Hispanic (31%) and Democrats (25%).
The strongest opposition against casinos comes from: those who make less than $40,000 a year (22%), those whose highest level of education is high school (21%) and those who identify as Asian (28%).
The results were consistent among regions of the state and among adults who live in urban, suburban and rural areas.
“Most North Carolinians seem accustomed to all forms of gambling, so supporting casino gambling in the state does not seem unusual,” said David McLennan, director of Meredith Poll, last month.
“We have the lottery and have just adopted online sports wagering in the state. Plus, many states, including those on the border of the state, now have casino gambling so even citizens who might have had objections to casino gambling 20 years ago might be resigned to the fact that all forms of gambling are inevitable.”
Legislative leaders have said they do not plan to pursue casino legislation in this year’s session. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, championed last year’s effort.
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