The U.S. News Online Gambling Poll 

Whereas legislators may be divided in their opinion on online gambling, the American public is not. This is the clear-cut verdict given by a poll conducted by US News and World Report. Introducing the issue, Editor Steve St. Angelo said, “Proponents of legalizing online gambling call prohibitions a sucker’s bet—sacrificing freedom to gain the moral high ground but little else. Opponents cite states’ rights and problem gambling, as well as a need to protect young citizens from vices. Should online betting be legal?” The online news portal then ran a written, prepared statement by both of Barney Frank and Spencer Bachus. Frank represented those in favor of online gambling, while Bachus provided the opposite view. Readers were then asked the simple question “Should online gambling be legalized?” 

The poll appeared in the June 2 issue of US News and World Report. By mid-afternoon the results were clear. 97.13% of the respondents favored legalization of online gambling. Only 2.87% opposed the legalization of online gambling. Later in the evening the proportion favoring online gambling increased further. At the time of writing the supporters of online gambling were 98.36% and the opponents only 1.64%. A similar poll was conducted by USA Today a few months ago. The results were similar. In that poll over 90% of the respondents voted in favor of legalization of online gambling. It has been pointed out that such online polls are not controlled and therefore do not constitute a scientific survey. However with such a one-sided result there is no room for doubt as to which way America is swinging.