Survey USA, a professional polling firm, was contracted by WRAL News to see how consumers in North Carolina feel about Las Vegas-style casino resorts. As it turns out, the people in the state, who just received online betting, are strongly supportive of the potential legalization of commercial casino resorts.

Survey USA polled 850 adults and learned that 55% of them support the creation of casinos in rural parts of North Carolina. For comparison, only 28% of the respondents remained strongly or somewhat opposed to casino gaming. The rest of the respondents remained neutral.

The survey also understood that adult men were slightly more likely to support casino gaming. Survey USA pointed out that 61% of the male respondents and 65% of the respondents aged 35-49 supported Vegas-style gaming.

Survey USA’s poll echoes the results of a recent survey by Meredith Poll from the private women’s liberal arts college in Raleigh, which found that 57% of voters support commercial casinos.

Not All Lawmakers Approve of Casino Gaming

Casino supporters in North Carolina have been trying to get casino gaming legalized for a while. While the local constitution does not prohibit gambling and therefore no constitutional changes are needed, casinos remain a point of contention.

For reference, North Carolina currently boasts three tribal casinos. The state recently launched online sports betting, expanding its gaming industry.

In 2023, Senator Phil Berger tried to get casino gaming launched, envisioning three commercial properties in Anson, Nash and Rockingham. His effort had attracted the interest of The Cordish Companies but ultimately failed.

Berger argues that casino resorts are more than mere gaming properties. He refers to them as entertainment districts, arguing that they go beyond gambling.

Republican lawmakers critiqued Berger’s effort, saying that gaming expansion should be considered separately and not as a part of the state’s budget plan.

In the meantime, supporters of Vegas-style gaming will have another shot at getting commercial casinos legalized as the 2024 legislative session looms. While many argue that casino resorts would provide a strong boost to rural economies, some influential lawmakers argue that the state should focus on other initiatives to develop the rural ecosystems instead.

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Several years ago, in 2018, residents in Arkansas voted in favor of an amendment to the state’s constitution that proposed casino gambling expansion. Per the amendment, casinos would be established in Crittenden, Jefferson, Garland and Pope Counties. By now, all counties have already established their casinos with the exception of Pope County, where the fourth casino license was tangled in a legal dispute that is still ongoing.

In light of the ongoing legal battle, the Arkansas Racing Commission (ARC), the gambling regulator in the state, confirmed its plans to revise casino rules with the ultimate goal of settling the dispute once and for all. This revision is expected to restart the application process under new guidelines, ensuring that a suitable bidder is selected for the Pope County casino license.

Yet, not everyone agrees with the casino expansion. Local Voters in Charge, a group that opposes the casino expansion, seeks to repeal the efforts for casino gambling in Pope County. The group seeks to change Amendment 100 which voters in Arkansas approved back in 2018. Local Voters in Change proposes to repeal the text that focuses on Pope County: “The Arkansas Racing Commission shall award a casino license to a casino applicant for a casino to be located in Pope County within two miles of the city limits of the county seat.”

The group intends to achieve its goal via a referendum where voters would be asked to remove the aforementioned text. This is in opposition to the ongoing efforts of the ARC and instead of resolving the legal battle proposes to end the possibilities for a casino in Pope County. Still, considering that the process is expected to be completed via a referendum, this doesn’t guarantee a win for Local Voters in Charge.

Local Voters to Determine the Future of Casino Projects

Besides the aforementioned effort, the activist group seeks further changes that would guarantee local voters’ opinion is heard when it comes to casino gambling. Local Voters in Charge proposed local voters in different counties to give the final green light when it comes to casino projects.

The group supports the idea of organizing a countywide special election that would determine the outcome of proposed casino projects with voters supporting or rejecting such projects. This would otherwise put the matter in the hands of the voters, who would have the right to vote in favor or against casino projects under the proposed referendum from Local Voters in Charge.

To put up the two topics for a referendum, the group would need a green light from Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office. Under the existing regulations, once the Attorney General greenlights the efforts, Local Voters in Charge would have to gather signatures from all counties equal to a minimum of 10% of the total votes from the last state governor election, representing nearly 91,000 signatures.

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Residents of Richmond, Virginia, once again voted against a proposed project that called for the development of a casino. The proposed $562 million project sought the development of Richmond Grand Resort and Casino, a new casino that would’ve been constructed just off Interstate 95. Supporters of the project said that it would bring economic stimulus, boost tourism and local businesses. However, opponents disagreed with the positive aspect of a casino in Richmond, warning it would bring financial hardships and crime.

Back in 2021, Richmond voters once again were asked to vote in favor or against a casino project. At the time, some 51% of the residents voted against the project with 49% supporting it. Now, the margin is even higher, as suggested by a report released by NBC12, revealing that some 61% of the Richmonders voted against the casino project based on data from the Virginia Board of Elections.

The referendum results come after an intense competition between supporters and opponents of the casino project in Richmond. Late last month, No Means No Casino, an anti-casino group founded by Paul Goldman, won a legal fight against the state over voter registration lists. The US District Court for the Eastern District Court of Virginia ruled in favor of Goldman, asking the Virginia Board of Elections to provide him access to the lists, something that is not uncommon for political candidates and committees.

This enabled No Means No Casino to continue its fight against the casino project, despite fears about the significant funding of the opposite side. Judging by the recent results, despite the spending in support of the casino project, residents of Richmond have once again stopped the project from lifting off.

Richmond Grand Resort Thanks Residents Who Supported the Project

After the referendum results were released, Levar Stoney, Richmond’s Mayor, released a statement explaining: “I will continue to be a voice for communities that have been historically overlooked and underserved.” The Mayor said that he remains dedicated to bringing good paying jobs, affordable child care and career opportunities for all residents of the city.

“We are grateful to the thousands of Richmonders who voted for good jobs and a stronger city, especially those in southside who poured their hearts into this project,“

reads a statement released by Richmond Grand Resort and Casino

Richmond Grand Resort said in a statement that it was proud to engage in a campaign that sought to develop new opportunities for the city’s residents. The group that supported the expansion of casino gambling thanked all the Richmonders who voted in favor of the project that was expected to revitalize the city, delivering new jobs and economic stimulus.

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The principality has 40,000 denizens and six casinos. Casinos were legalized and began operations about five years ago. Most of the footfall comes from neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland as well as from Germany. Liechtenstein is ranked as the wealthiest country in the world with an annual per-capita income of $175,813.

The signatures needed for the referendum as well as the wording were brought about by IG Volksmeinung, a pressure group formed to oppose casinos in Liechtenstein.

Reasoning in favor of the ban included perceived damage to the country’s reputation, and the fear of gambling addiction, especially among the less wealthy residents. Those arguments were rejected decisively with about 73% rejecting the ban, and about 27% supporting it. Voter turnout was about 70%.

The certified numbers were 10,383 in opposition to the ban (73,3%) and 3,779 in favor (26.7%).

Government Opposed Referendum

The government as well as the country’s prince opposed the referendum and spoke out against it, encouraging the populace to vote “no” on the ban. Had the measure passed, the six existing casinos would have had five years to wind up operations.

Arguments against the casino ban included an assessment that it was too drastic and didn’t actually address gambling harm. It was also noted that casinos have become an important source of revenue. Actual damage to the country’s reputation is stable and reliable could also be seen to occur if the industry was exiled.

In early November last year, the IG VolksMeinung attempted to get Lantag to ban the casinos. Principality law requires that the government had 14 days to call a referendum under the People’s Rights Act and the referendum had to be presented to voters within three months.

The constitutional amendment was rejected on Sunday, January 29, 2023.

Industry Oversaturated

Late last year, as reported on G3 Newswire, the Liechtenstein Casino Association is well aware that the market may not be well served by so many casinos. A statement read: “The casino association understands such concerns and sees no economic basis for so many casinos in the future. Both the government’s moratorium and the measures already taken prevent further growth and accelerate the consolidation of the market situation. For these reasons, a ban on casinos is not necessary. Well-known experts do not see a solution in a ban. Experts call for active player protection that quickly identifies problematic gambling behavior and shows the guest solutions.”

The statement continued: “Due to the legal requirements, the casinos spend very high amounts and human resources on prevention work every year. Employees are trained, problematic players are addressed and, where necessary, excluded from the game. All this no longer exists with a ban.”

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