Metro

New Yorkers support legalizing casinos: poll

ALBANY – Roll the dice!

That’s the message New York voters are sending Gov. Cuomo as they overwhelmingly approve the governor plan to legalize non-Indian casino gambling in the state.

A new Quinnipiac University poll found voters by better than 2-1, or 64-31 percent, favoring legalizing Atlantic City or Las Vegas-style casinos in the state.

Cuomo earlier this month said he would seek the Legislature’s approval in January for a Constitutional Amendment legalizing casino gambling, a process that’s at least two years long and requires approval by two separately elected Legislatures and a public referendum.

The new poll found support for casinos strong in all parts of the state and among all groups, although there were some notable differences.

New York City voters backed casinos, 65-27 percent, while voters in the suburbs liked them even better, 70-27 percent. Upstaters were most cautious, approving casinos, 58-38 percent.

Men favored casinos, 68-28 percent, while woman back them, 60-34 percent.

Cuomo said he had decided to back the legalization of casino gambling in an effort to help reinvigorate the private sector economy, and voters appeared to agree.

The poll found 68 percent of New Yorkers say casinos will be good for the economy, compared to 27 percent who said it would be bad.

“New Yorkers say, ‘shuffle and deal’,’’ said Quinnipiac spokesman Maurice Carroll.

In other findings, the new poll:

— Showed voters tightly split on the controversial “hydrofracking’’ process for extracting natural gas from the Marcellus Shale region of upstate, with 44 percent in favor and 45 percent opposed.

— Found 52 percent of voters want an independent commission to draw the new congressional and legislative district lines that will be used in next year’s elections, and believe, 45-37 percent, that Cuomo should veto any redistricting plan drafted by the Legislature alone.

— Revealed Republican voters favoring former House Speaker Newt Gingrich over former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, 29-26 percent, although both would lose decisively to President Obama.