SOURCE: iGaming Business

Market investigators Luntz, Maslansky Strategic Research have announced that approval of online casinos could be slipping after a recent study of American public opinion.

In a survey of 800 U.S. adults, the Virginia-based strategic communications organisation said that, while most respondents were happy to see online casinos legalised, only half of these, the lowest number since 2000, agreed with the statement ‘casino gaming is entirely acceptable for everybody’.

On the other hand, eighteen percent, the highest number in six years, totally disagreed.

Since 2000, the survey discovered great public acceptance of gambling, ranging from 51 percent to 57 percent, including 54 percent in the past twelve months. The number of the opponents had remained stable at 16 percent until falling to 15 per cent last year before increasing to 18 percent this year.

According to estimates of the survey conducted by Peter D Hart Research Associates, nearly four per cent of American citizens played at an online casinos last year, almost double the estimates for 2004.

“There may be some erosion as there has been some unenthusiastic publicity out there over the last year,” said the President of the organisation.

The research also found that online players were overwhelmingly young with an average age was 31 and more wealthy than the average American.