Survey says most prefer casino to Internet gambling

Friday, July 27, 2001 | 10:38 a.m.

An Internet marketing research company's survey says while online gambling is gaining in popularity, traditional casinos are still the venue of choice.

A survey by Greenfield Online Inc., Wilton, Conn., also found that a customer's comfort level with online gambling would increase if well-known casinos ran the sites.

The survey, part of Greenfield's Digital Consumer series, questioned 1,000 participants between June 22-27, one-third of whom had visited an Internet casino site. The study comes at a time when Nevada regulators are considering whether to legalize online gambling in the state, a move that would challenge current federal laws.

Only about 13 percent of those who had visited an online gaming site opened an account and wagered. Greenfield said the percentage was low because more than half the people surveyed said they were concerned about their money and whether they would ever collect any winnings.

The study said gamblers would risk far less money at online casino sites than they would at a traditional casino, with 4 percent saying they would gamble $100 or more online and 24 percent willing to wager that much in a casino.

The survey also found that 60 percent agree that they would rather gamble in person than on the Internet. About 40 percent say online gambling is not as safe as in a casino while 30 percent believe Internet gambling is more addictive than in traditional venues.