In addition to their self-reported efforts to work together, the pro-gambling expansion forces have released a poll showing public sentiment on their side.
A poll paid for by Let Texans Decide, a pro-gambling group made up of interests that wanted slot machines at racetracks last session, asked 1,001 registered voters in Texas: “Regardless of your views on gambling, would you support or oppose allowing Texas voters to decide on a constitutional amendment to allow the expansion of gaming in Texas?”
The answer was a loud “yes.”
Of all respondents, 82 percent said they’d support being able to vote on a constitutional amendment to allow gambling, and 78 percent of Republican primary voters — the folks that, let’s face it, decide our statewide elections — also supported the idea of putting gambling to a public vote, according to poll results.
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The poll was conducted by Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research, the same firm that did the surveys for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz during his run for the Senate last year.
Respondents were contacted by phone between Jan. 27 and Jan. 30. The margin of error is ±3.1 percent, with an oversample sufficient to achieve 511 Republican primary voters with a margin of error +4.4 percent.
You can see the poll memo here, and crosstabs can be found here. There are two points to note. One is that asking people whether they favor voting on something is not the same as asking them if they favor the thing they’d be voting on. I suspect most propositions would get a favorable response to the question “should the people be allowed to vote on this”. Two, previous polls on the subject have generally shown a positive response from Texans towards expanded gambling. This 2009 Baselice poll found that 63% of respondents favored allowing slot machines at horse and dog racetracks, with 82% being in favor of being allowed to vote on the question. This 2010 Texans for Economic Development poll found that people preferred slot machines at racetracks as a way to raise revenue by a 57-22 margin over increasing taxes. None of that has made any difference in the Legislature in the past, and the safe bet is that this poll won’t make any difference, either. But there you have it anyway. Hair Balls has more.