Ohio poll: 60% favor casino gambling

By Marc Kovac

The poll is not an accurate indicator of voter support for the casino gambling issue.

COLUMBUS — Ohioans apparently favor casino gambling and marijuana used for medical purposes.

But they oppose lowering the drinking age, abolishing the death penalty and legalizing gay marriage.

That’s according to the latest Ohio Poll, released by the University of Cincinnati Friday. The university’s Institute for Policy Research polled 818 Ohioans late last month on a variety of social issues.

A total of 60 percent of respondents said they favored making casino-style gambling legal in Ohio.

That result is comparable to past Ohio Polls but does not mean voters will back specific casino issues on the ballot, said Eric Rademacher, co-director of the institute.

According to a release, “While the Ohio Poll has found in the past that a majority of Ohio adults approve of casino gambling in major cities near their home, the poll has also found election day voters unwilling to approve ballot issues that would lead to the legalization of gambling in the state. This has been reflected in election day outcomes over the past decade.”

Other results of the poll:

USeventy-three percent of respondents support allowing Ohio doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to patients.

UBut 61 percent said they opposed making marijuana use generally legal in the state.

UA total of 78 percent said they opposed lowering the drinking age to 18 from 21, and 70 percent opposed abolishing Ohio’s death penalty. Fifty-six percent said they opposed marriages between couples of the same sex in Ohio.