National poll finds support for legalizing sports betting, not for Internet wagering

A new national poll by Fairleigh Dickinson University finds there is support for legalizing sports betting in states where it’s currently not allowed.

The PublicMind poll shows 51 percent of registered voters favor the expansion of sports betting.

New Jersey wants to have a federal law overturned that limits it to just four states.

But Fairleigh Dickinson political science professor Dan Cassino says it’s uncertain whether legalizing sports betting in the Garden State would result in a big increase in state revenue.

“Even though 20 percent of men are already betting on sports, it’s not clear how many of them would switch over to legal sports betting if it were allowed,” he said. “Or how many would just on keeping playing in their office pools or keep on playing with the bookie they’re playing with now.”

New Jersey lawmakers also want the state to have Internet gambling, but Cassino says only 27 percent of Americans support that idea.

He says there’s a perception that online gambling is more susceptible to fraud and would lead more people to become addicted to gambling than sports betting would.