Business & Tech
Sure, We Love Casinos — In Other People's Towns
A new survey from Western New England University suggests what you might expect to find: People want casinos. They just don't want to live next to them.
Written by Chris Helms
As communities around the state grapple with whether to approve casinos, a new survey shows NIMBY sentiment is high.
A Western New England University poll found that, on one hand, 61 percent of Massachusetts adults favor casinos coming to the state. But on the other hand, 55 percent of that same group don't want casinos in their own community.
Casinos have been in the news a lot recently:
- Milford voters rejected a Foxwoods casino proposal by a 2 to 1 margin.
- East Boston voters also rejected a casino,
- while Revere residents welcomed one.
- The Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah announced it has the federal go-ahead for a casino on Martha's Vineyard,
- although the tribal leader who made the announcement was almost immediately voted out of office by a large majority.
The university's survey has interesting wrinkles — like the discovery that women are more opposed to having casinos in their communities than men. Here's the whole survey if you'd like to know more.