Poll boosts case for table games at tracks

Lawrence Messina

Wednesday, March 2, 2005 | 9:27 a.m.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A majority of West Virginians would support table games at racetracks when told out-of-state slot machines threaten lottery revenue the four tracks now provide, says a poll issued Tuesday by gaming advocates.

The specter of jobs and dollars lost to Pennsylvania and other states might also provide the best cover for lawmakers who support legislation allowing the four racetrack counties to vote on casino-style games, the survey commissioned by the West Virginia Racing Association indicates.

Association President John Cavacini said the poll should help convince legislators to pass the local option bill scheduled for introduction later this week.

"The more educated they are, it really brings the problem in perspective," Cavacini said. "It becomes basically an issue that's very, very acceptable, the more they know."

Cavacini's group hired Fabrizio McLaughlin & Associates of Alexandria, Va., to poll 600 residents statewide in early January. The firm calculated the margin of error at 4 percentage points.

Just under 49 percent of those polled said they strongly or somewhat supported legalizing blackjack and similar games at the tracks. About 44 percent at least somewhat opposed legalization and 7 percent were undecided.

Support topped 56 percent in the racetrack counties: Jefferson, Hancock, Kanawha and Ohio.

But only 32 percent of those surveyed knew that Pennsylvania will soon debut thousands of slot machines at its tracks; 8.2 percent believed that fact to be untrue. Only 38.3 percent knew that other surrounding states, such as Maryland and Ohio, have been considering adopting slots as well.

West Virginia's tracks now rely heavily on slot machines, part of the state lottery. The machines provided $371 million to the lottery last year, or 72 percent of total revenue. One industry study estimates that Pennsylvania's slots alone will steal $293 million from West Virginia's tracks in one year.

Of those aware of Pennsylvania's looming competition, nearly 60 percent said they favored allowing table games at West Virginia tracks. That margin increased to 62.2 percent for those also aware of the potential competition from other neighbors.

Cavacini seized on the poll's finding that 58.3 percent of those surveyed agreed that the tracks create "much-needed jobs" and significantly contribute to the state's economy. About 31 percent disagreed.

A 2003 racing association poll had found that only 39 percent considered the tracks fairly or very important to the state, compared to 53 percent who found them of little or no importance.

"We as an industry have been lucky that the Legislature gave us the product of slot machines. It's been win-win for the state," Cavacini said. "Now that other states have seen our success, what we're proposing would give us a product that the other states don't have."

Consistent with the 2003 polls, 55.3 percent of those surveyed in January were "more likely" to support table games if the racetrack counties were allowed to vote on whether to approve them. But only 40 percent would be more likely to vote for a lawmaker who voted for a local option election bill, compared to 36.5 percent who would be less likely. Another 15.8 percent said it "depends," while 7.8 percent were undecided or refused to answer.

Support for lawmakers increased, however to nearly 48 percent among those aware of Pennsylvania's soon-to-debut slots. It increased further, to 52.2 percent, when those polled also knew about slot machines discussions in Ohio, Maryland and Kentucky.